Canis Lupus
by Mirai no Kibou
Summary: A century ago, the Exorcist fated to be the Destroyer of Time, Allen Walker, died. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, an animal which held the power of Innocence appeared. The animal's name? Allen Walker. Somewhat AU, follows manga storyline.
1. The Exorcist with the Silver Pelt

Hey there, everyone. This is my first Fanfiction. It is about a wolf with a silver pelt which holds the power of Innocence (i.e. Allen). If this story seems to be a copy of an idea of a previously written story by another author, I apologize. However, whatever will occur in my fanfiction will strictly be following the manga's story, the only change being that Allen Walker is no longer human, nor does he recall his memories from his previous life. It is somewhat of an AU, I suppose.

If Wikipedia was correct, the title of the story - _Canis Lupus_, should mean Grey Wolf. Technically, Allen's pelt is silver, but it seems to match well with the title of the original story, _D. Gray Man_. The only reason it isn't _D. Gray Wolf_ is because... ugh. Cop-out. Unoriginal.

Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man. It belongs to Katsura Hoshino.

* * *

**Canis Lupus  
**

**Prologue - The Exorcist with the Silver Pelt  
**

**_What is your name?_**

My name? It is… Allen Walker.

**_What are you?_**

I am human. I have been bestowed with the power of Innocence… I am an Exorcist.

**_What is your purpose?_**

I am the Destroyer of Time. I was fated to destroy the Earl, yet I died before I could fulfill that purpose.

**_Are you alive?_**

Yes. I cannot die before I have become the savior of the world, for it is my destiny.

**_What is your wish?_**

I wish to be born again… so I can continue my fight.

**_Will you take up Innocence again and keep on fighting, regardless?_**

Yes… yes, I will.

**_Very well, Allen Walker. Your wish shall be granted._**

_

* * *

_

_A howl broke the night, followed by anguished cries and explosions. From the desecrated ruins of the village, a wolf, shining a soft green as warm as the canopies of far reaching trees emerged. As it approached, we saw, that the wolf held not a green but a silver pelt, reflecting the rays of the moon that hung in the night sky._

Kanda Yuu frowned, tossing the manila folder on the empty seat beside him. The action echoed in the silent waterway, the rocking boat rippling the surface of the water. According to the mission briefing, that wolf, based on the akuma traces and eyewitness testimony, was likely to be Innocence. Either it was acting on its own will, or the wolf possessed either a parasitic or an equip-type Innocence. Both were unlikely. Raw Innocence, as far as the Bookmen clan recorded, had never actively destroyed akuma on its own. In addition, Exorcists were always, from what was commonly known, human.

"_Hey, Kanda-kun~" _Komui had called him to his office that morning. _"Here's the mission briefing, you need to leave sometime today for London, as there aren't any other Exorcists available at the moment. This mission pertains to the possibility of a new Exorcist, so it is of vital importance. Good luck." _

As much as Kanda could see, this mission would turn out to be a waste of time. At the very least, the only positive aspect of it was that it was close to Headquarters. He scowled, settling for some meditation (as much as he was able to, in any case) in the slowly moving boat.

As soon as the boat touched the shore, Kanda left the violently rocking boat, in favor of blatantly ignoring the Finder assigned to him for solo work.

"Kanda-san! Where are you-" The Finder's voice was drowned out by the thickening crowd between them.

_Must be a newbie. _Kanda thought, as he hurriedly swerved in and out of the crowd. By now, the majority of the Finders in the Order would know his habits when it came to missions. It was not like he was easy to ignore, with his foul temperament and antisocial personality. Looking up, Kanda noted the sky was darkening, streaks of fiery red, orange and yellow smudged across it like a crayon drawing. Kanda preferred to work in the dark. There were less people to get in his way, and more likely that not, akuma would appear. Finally tiring of the constant dodging he had to do through the throngs of people, he propelled himself upwards onto a low roof before navigating in the general direction of the last sighting, near the outskirts of the town.

Standing on a police building overlooking a church and several neighborhood houses, Kanda silently watched, tensed for the arrival of the supposed Innocence. He was not particularly expecting any results, despite the thoroughness of the mission briefing (which were, coincidentally, normally thicker).

_Hm…?_ Sensing movement, he cocked his head to look down at the entrance of the building where he saw a young woman exiting, accompanied by what appeared to be a dog of sorts. A glint of a reflection caught his eye. The canine had its head turned up towards him…

_What? That mutt knows I'm here?_

_I've found you… Black Order. _A voice echoed in his head.

* * *

Moore Hesse emerged from the police station, having finally been let out of relentless questioning from her peers after the death of her fellow policeman, Charles, in their exploration of the church. They were all but willing to let her go, as she had supplied a retelling similar to the mysterious disappearance of the travelers in the church. Moore sighed. The creature next to her, a surprisingly tame wolf, brushed its furry pelt against her leg, like a gesture of comfort. It could have been mistakenly taken for a dog, given its obedient behavior, if it were not for its general appearance. "Thank you." She murmured, unafraid, as she dropped onto one knee and nuzzled her face in its fur. "You know, I never did find out your name." The animal had been following her around ever since she saw it in the church, and for the love of her God, she had no clue why. She dug under its layers of fur and found a collar loosely roped around its neck. "Allen, huh?" She smiled, batting it playfully. "It suits you."

It sneezed and began batting at nose with its paw.

Moore let out the smallest of giggles before straightening and scratching her head. "Now… I have to go back home and make dinner for Mark-niisan… eh?" At this, the wolf had growled and sunk its fangs into her trouser leg, purposely avoiding the flesh.

_Stay here. _It seemed to say.

Leaving a frozen Moore standing behind it, the wolf paced a few steps forward before releasing and unearthly green glow. It lifted its head and howled once, the sound reverberating in the night.

A few moments of silence… and an explosion joined the howl in breaking the stillness.

* * *

Kanda's eye twitched. He did not believe it. The wolf was shining a green color! Green… the color of Innocence. He made to jump off the roof before the wolf threw its head up. He paused as a sound - a wail ripped through the night. The sensation was familiar. _Marie's Noel Organon… _Kanda strangely, yet briefly recalled his fellow Exorcist's Anti-Akuma weapon, its sole offense lying in a melody poisonous to akuma. _Which meant…_ Kanda's eyes narrowed. _This is Innocence! _He vaulted himself over the rooftop's fence and braced himself for landing.

Moore could only watch as a round, floating machine, bearing the visage of her brother-in-law, Mark, emerged from her house, having shot it to ruins, most likely with multiple cannons attached to various parts of it.

"Mark-niisan…?" She mumbled instinctively, terrified, as her eyes fixated on her brother-in-law's face. The rest of the world faded away.

Allen, the wolf, was standing – _protectively?_ - in front of her, riled up, its furs standing on edge. Disturbed by the explosion, the Inspector and a group of policemen emerged from the large double doors of the station. Many paled or released loud exclamations of fear, their eyes transfixed with horror on the machine before them. The Inspector was the first to act, snapping out of his reverie. "F-fire!" He cried, with a trembling voice, gesturing towards the machine, pulling out his own handgun simultaneously. A rain of bullets pelted the round object.

"You fools! That has no effect on it! Leave before you are killed!" A deep voice growled from next to Moore. She turned her head. "Who…?"

"Che." The man, albeit young, had long, raven hair tied up in a high ponytail, which surprisingly, was a good look for him. He face had features that were obviously not of this country; he was somewhere from Asia, she guessed. Her eyes wandered to the silver rose cross attached to his dark coat.

"Are you… from the Dark Order?" She whispered.

The man simply gave no response and fixed his eyes on the wolf – Allen.

* * *

_Here to pick me up? _The same voice that echoed in his head previously stated bemusedly.

Kanda did not answer.

_Not much fun, are you? _It teased playfully.

"Show me what you can do… Moyashi." Kanda said out loud, ignoring the strange look the policewoman sent him.

_Moyashi? _was the last thing the voice asked, incredulously, before the wolf leapt into combat.

* * *

Moore's vision grew blurry as she watched her comrades from the police station, like her friend Charles, disintegrate into dust after a shower of purple bullets, shot without remorse from the many barrels of the floating machine. She shook away her tears, yelling accusingly at the machine.

"WHY? YOU MONSTER, WHY DID YOU KILL THEM ALL?" She found herself screaming in despair, tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Shut up, or you'll be targeted next." The man said gruffly. He spoke too late, however, as the akuma's eyes fixed on Moore and readied one of its many cannons for a shot. "Shit-!" Moore felt an arm wrap around her waist before she found herself standing on the low roof of a building in the vicinity, overlooking the battle.

"You've left Allen alone down there!" She pointed at the wolf, who seemed unfazed that it was left alone by itself - rather, it seemed relieved.

"Allen?" The man seemed surprised. "So that's its name." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. The Moyashi should be able to handle himself."

* * *

Kanda watched as a stray bullet from the akuma hit Allen. It howled in agony before dropping down on the cobblestoned street, black pentacles spreading all over his body. "Oi! Moyashi!"

_Kindly refrain from calling me a beansprout, Exorcist. _The voice said. _No worries. Watch._

Once more, the wolf threw his head back and howled. A moment later, a shimmering green light began emanating from its body, enveloping the whole street in brightness. As soon as the light diminished, Kanda noted that the wolf had returned to normal, black pentacles no longer visible. However, the silvery fur had transformed into a metallic, emerald coating. "The only Exorcists with that kind of ability…"

_Parasitic. Yes, I am. _

With a growl, the wolf lunged at the akuma, jaws snapping.

Another explosion shook the outskirts of London. Regardless, the akuma was no more.

Kanda left his observing place, bringing the woman – _Moore, was it?_ – with him, leaving her to crumple in a depressed heap on the floor. He approached the wolf.

"Exactly how can you be an Exorcist?" He said bluntly. _You're a wolf. _

The wolf lazily waved its paw around. _No offence taken. _The voice said happily. _My dear fellow Exorcist, I, as well, have no idea. But- _It made a sound that resembled a cough. _Oh dear. Since my entire body has Innocence running through it, I tend to have a rebound every time I fight. _A small puddle of blood pooled at its feet, droplets of red slipping between its jaws to fall on the street. _Exorcist, could you help me back to the Dark Order?_

Kanda scoffed. "So I take it you aren't raw Innocence?"

The wolf made a surprised expression. _Raw Innocence? As self-aware as it seems to be, raw Innocence doesn't have that kind of will. _Another cough rattled its frame. _What is your name, Exorcist? It is rather hard to make conversation when I don't know your name._

"… Kanda."

_Last name only? _The voice said in a tone akin to a sigh. _My name… is Allen Walker. I am a wolf with a parasitic Innocence. Pleasure. _The soft voice managed to choke out sarcastically before the wolf collapsed on its side, in its own puddle of blood.

* * *

_Humans die easily, sometimes… yet, what if it were animals instead, chosen to carry out the fight?_

_

* * *

_

Ugh, sorry for the line breaks all the time. I tried to use a - in the center of the page, but that didn't show up when I saved it, so...

Just so you know, the line breaks are for a change in POV. For example, in Moore's POV, I'd refer to Kanda as 'the man', whereas in Kanda's POV he's just... Kanda. Sorry if it's confusing.

Oh dear. The last sentence feels as if I'm going to make an AU with everyone as an animal instead of human. It sounds interesting, no? (My idea in the previous sentence, not my story XD – I'll leave that for readers and reviewers to decide). Feel free to criticize; however, I will blatantly ignore what I deem flaming. If this story feels cliché to you, go ahead and state so, I don't mind – I love clichés. I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter, and if there are any mistakes, please point them out. Hopefully the second chapter will be on its way soon. If you know the manga or anime well enough, you should know what is coming up next.

The reason that the entire story with Claire and Mark was not mentioned is because Allen does not have the curse, as of this point in the story, in any case.

FAQ might go up as soon as questions are asked in the reviews or PMed. I will not reveal anything about Allen's Innocence as of yet.

_-Mirai no Kibou_


	2. The Millennium Earl and his Akuma

Prior apologies if Kanda is OOC or if you think he's just swearing mindlessly.

By the way, have you ever felt that you have reused one word too many times because you can't think of a better word for it? That's how I felt, writing this. If there is any feedback you can give me, or any inaccuracies you can find, please tell me.  
_  
Disclaimer: D. Gray Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

I'm not following the manga word for word, just so you know. I'm briefly glancing over the scenes and cutting out / rephrasing some of the lines from memory. If you feel that this story is just a novel format of the manga, I apologize, I never intended to give you that impression.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Canis Lupus**

**Chapter 2 – The Millennium Earl**

Kanda scoffed. "So I take it you aren't raw Innocence?"

The wolf made a surprised expression. _Raw Innocence? As self-aware as it seems to be, raw Innocence doesn't have that kind of will._ Another cough rattled its frame. _What is your name, Exorcist? It is rather hard to make conversation when I don't know your name.  
_  
"… Kanda."  
_  
Last name only?_ The voice said in a tone akin to a sigh. _My name… is Allen Walker. I am a wolf with a parasitic Innocence. Pleasure._ The soft voice managed to choke out sarcastically before the wolf collapsed on its side, in its own puddle of blood.

* * *

"Che. Weak Moyashi. Can't stand a short fight with a level 1." Kanda tapped the wolf in the ribs with his boot. They were much too prominent for his liking.

_There's actually a reason, Kanda, that my body coughs up blood. Kindly refrain from injuring it further. _Allen said sarcastically in his head.

"Yeah, once you get the hell out of my head." Kanda replied bitingly.  
_  
I do need to amuse myself with something whilst this body heals, for your general information. My body enters somewhat of a stasis in order to recover from the rebound, so I can't exactly move.  
_  
"Amuse? Do you liken me to be a sort of toy, Moyashi?" Kanda growled. "Just hurry up and heal, I don't want to carry your lazy Moyashi ass."  
_  
Trust me, Kanda, if I could, I wouldn't want you to either.  
_  
"-anda. Kanda-kun?" A voice submerged in static spoke up from behind the Exorcist.

"What was that, Moyashi?" Kanda seemed not to hear as tugged on his sword's hilt. "Mugen will slice and dice you if you don't hurry up."  
_  
Yes, about that, Kanda-_

"Kanda-kun!" Komui's voice screeched into his ear.

Kanda visibly flinched before pausing to cover his ears. Allen looked nothing short of on the verge of laughter, despite how strange the expression might have looked on a wolf. Kanda grabbed the fluttering communication mechanism (golem) behind his head, a vein in his forehead throbbing. "The FUCK, KOMUI?"

"You didn't hear me." The voice sounded apologetic. "Though…" The Supervisor's voice deepened, characteristic of the man when he was serious. "The Finder assigned to you for this mission called Headquarters and duly informed us that you… '_scampered off_'."

"Che." Kanda attempted to look in any direction other than the Moyashi's entertained face.

"However, that aside, knowing your habits when it comes to missions… do you have anything to report?"

"Confirmed, I've got the Innocence."

"And…?" Komui's voice was expectant.

"It's an Exorcist."

There was a silence, followed by a soft _click _sound, more than likely Komui cleaning or adjusting his glasses. "… I see. Please bring him or her back to Headquarters."

"Yeah, Komui, no. It's a freaking wolf."

Another pregnant pause. "…what?" Probably having heard his response, some muffled voices were speaking quickly in the background, in panic or elation at the discovery, Kanda did not know. They were probably the usual scientists that were hanging around the office.

"Oi, Moyashi, tell him."

By this point, Allen had calmed down from his fit of hysterical laughter. _I can only communicate with people telepathically who have somewhat of an association with Innocence. Also, they have to be nearby. It will have to wait until we get to Headquarters. Sorry. _He said, somewhat sheepishly.

"…" was all Kanda could do to not maul the Moyashi with his bare hands. Basically, it meant that he had been talking to himself the entire time (to the impression of the average bystander, in any case).

"I-in any case, Kanda…" Somehow sensing the atmosphere, Komui quickly intervened. "Please bring it back to Headquarters as soon as possible. By whatever means. You can give us the full details then. Goodbye." The line went dead.

Twitching slightly, Kanda dropped to one knee and examined the wolf. "When your wolf blood gets all over my coat, you are going to lick every drop of it off." He grumbled, gingerly hooking his arms under the furry body.  
_  
Yes, your Royal Highness. _came the reply, accompanied by a metaphorical eye roll.

* * *

Kanda was not happy. Not only was the carriage taking him back to the Finder delayed, he had a limp wolf's body bleeding all over his coat and a voice annoying him to Hell in his head.  
_  
So, where's the Headquarters? _Allen continued animatedly in his head. _What kind of man was the guy earlier? Komui, was it? I can't wait to meet them-  
_  
"AKUMA! IT'S AN AKUMA!" A boy's voice cried from a distance away. Allen, with his superior hearing as a wolf reacted immediately, coaxing his body to move. The bundle of fur came to life in Kanda's arms, squirming, before leaving his arms and bounding off in the direction of the scream.

"Stupid Moyashi could move? Che!" Kanda left his sitting position and followed the creature.

* * *

"It's going to kill you!" A young boy screeched. "I saw it! I saw the Millennium Earl turn this man into an akuma!" He pointed accusingly at a man wearing a tattered coat and fingerless gloves.

"Jean…" One of the men who had gathered in answer to the calls sighed. "This is the fourth time this week. Have you ever read the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf?"

"Don't treat me like a kid! I swear! This man is an akuma! He – mmph!" The man in question being accused wrapped a grimy hand over Jean's mouth.

"I'm sorry. We were playing pretend, and he got a little too involved…" The man explained sheepishly.

"See, Jean?" The crowd murmured in disapproval of what they deemed the boy's want for attention.

"Where's the akuma?" A gruff voice interrupted.

"There aren't any akuma here." A man batted Jean's head.

"Ow!" Jean, nursing his head, looked up. It was an Asian man wearing a long coat, his face twisted into an expression of frustration. In front of him, a dog covered with silver fur cocked its head, looking up at the man. It sat back on its haunches and whined slightly. The man mumbled something quietly, apparently addressing the animal.

"It's the doing of this little rascal. You wasted your time coming here." Slowly, the men that gathered began to disperse, returning to their stores and jobs.

_

* * *

That man is definitely an akuma.  
_  
"What?"  
_  
Wolves naturally have a good sense of smell. _Allen replied airily._ Dark matter has a… certain scent, I guess. It's probably the doing of the Innocence.  
_  
Kanda remained silent, watching the homeless man as he proceeded to walk away, his hand still around the boy's mouth. In a split second that the man turned away, Kanda caught sight of a large star that appeared on his forehead.

"Got you… _akuma_." He spat, drawing Mugen, instantly destroying the akuma with a smooth swish.  
_  
Oh, nice cut._

* * *

A silent shriek pierced the silence of the alleyway before the akuma was destroyed in an explosion.

"Oi, are you-" The man began to say before Jean tackled him.

"COOL! ARE YOU AN EXORCIST? WHAT'S YOUR ANTI-AKUMA WEAPON?" Jean began rattling off his questions, one by one, not noticing the deathly aura surrounding the Exorcist he knocked over.

Suddenly, Jean was pulled off the man, a strong force tugging on his leg. "Huh?" Whipping his head around, he saw that the dog with the Exorcist earlier had sunk its teeth into his trouser pants.

"Aw, protective of your Master, are you?" Jean quickly recovered and pet its head. "What a good dog!"

The dog froze. Behind him, the Exorcist choked and began coughing rigorously. Jean glanced back and forth between the Exorcist and the dog curiously, wondering what was happening.

"For that…" The Exorcist said, his cough subsiding, "I won't kill you."

Jean stared incredulously. Was that supposed to be a … laugh? _  
_  
"Hey, kid."

"H-huh? What?"

"Keep your nose out of this. Shit – uh, _stuff_ with the Millennium Earl and akuma isn't… safe. And I don't want to be bothered trying to protect you."

Jean was annoyed. Why did everyone treat him like a child? "Here." He said, reaching into his pocket. "A present." He tossed one of his onion bombs at the pair.

* * *

"The hell?" The 'present' was a mechanism shaped like an onion and was quietly ticking. Kanda had the sense to bat the onion away before it exploded in is face. However, smoke from the bomb filled the alleyway, rendering him unable to see. "Oi! Brat!"

"I don't need you to warn me!" The boy's irritatingly high pitched voice called. "We're going to save everyone in this town from akuma, me and Leo!" There was a soft scratching sound as the kid escaped on his roller blades.

"Who the hell does he think he is, an Exorcist?" Kanda scoffed, frustrated. "Saying he can save people when he can't do anything without Innocence."  
_  
Now, now, Kanda. _Allen pacified him quickly before glancing after the boy. _Something about him… troubles me. _Without another word, he sniffed the air before following after Jean.

"Che." _Stupid Moyashi, wasting my time. _But Komui had specifically told him to bring Moyashi back to Headquarters, thus… he shoved his hands in his coat pockets and silently trailed the animal Exorcist.

* * *

"Young Master Jean! Young Master! You have a guest." A rotund woman in a maid costume wearing a questionably awkward clown nose rapped on the door. Accustomed to the several death threats posted in sign form on Jean's door, the maid persistently tapped the wooden surface.

The loud sounds coming from behind the door halted. A scratching sound accompanied the silent, as Jean skated over to the door. He turned the doorknob, pushing it open with a creak. "… who is it?"

The guest raised a hand in greeting.

"Oh, Leo!" Jean exclaimed, surprised. "I haven't seen you for a while, partner!" Allowing his friend in, he shut the door before skating over to a chair and sitting down. "How have you been? I heard you were at your relatives' place, but it must still be hard…" He awkwardly lapsed into silence, running out of comforting things to say. "S-so, just ask me, and I'll do anything to cheer you up, okay?" Jean glanced at his friend, who had uncharacteristically remained quiet this entire while.

Leo was looking interestingly at the multiple machines and experiments set up in Jean's room, apparently not having heard his friend speak. What unnerved Jean though, was Leo's lack of any reaction and especially that mouth that seemed to be eternally turned up in a smile. It did not seem to go with his face, nor his circumstances.  
_  
I guess the loss of his mother was hard… _Jean picked at an itching spot on his face, turning his head to look at a picture, grandly displayed in a frame lined with silver trimmings. It portrayed two boys, close friends or siblings from the general appearance, cheerfully making faces at the camera. _He's changed quite a bit. Oh, speaking of which… _"By the way, Leo!" He continued in an eager voice, happy to break the silence. "I saw an akuma today!" That seemed to pique Leo's interest. "Oh yeah, and I saw the Millennium Earl's face too! How cool is that? Wait, wait, I'll draw you a picture…" As Jean bustled around his room for a sheet of paper and a pencil, he did not notice one of Leo's eyes glossing over, an eerie profile appearing before disappearing as quick as it had come. The bubbling and humming from his experiments and machines accompanied the skritch of his pencil hurriedly sketching on the paper.

"There, it's done!" Jean hummed, showing his friend the paper. A figure that could barely be identified as a man was seen in the completed picture, with teeth and a mouth that were much too large to be humane. The 'man' also had elf-like ears, as well as an elegant top hat. "With this, we can go on patrol and let everyone know, just like we used to!"

A hand closed around his wrist. Jean looked up, startled. "Jean…" Leo finally spoke. "I want you to go somewhere with me."

* * *

"We tailed the kid back to this house. Now what?" Kanda said, impatient.

_This scent… _Allen was pawing and circling a certain spot. _It leads into the mansion. No mistake, an akuma has been here._

"Hello! How may I help you?" A low voice, along with a round woman in a maid's outfit came toward the gate. "Do you have any business with the Young Master?"

Before Kanda could speak, the woman wobbled slightly. "The Young Master is-" The woman, without any warning, toppled on top of Kanda, crushing him.  
_  
Kanda? Are you alright? _The voice showed some concern, which was understandable, considering the size of the-

"What did you come here for?" A familiar voice said, making it clear who had pushed the maid on Kanda. "I won't listen to you anyway! Leave me alone!" With that, Jean skated off, another boy of similar age skating after him.

Allen growled. _That other boy… Kanda, get up.  
_  
"I'm trying, Moyashi." Kanda grunted, struggling, surprised he was still able to breathe.  
_  
Have you ever met _him?

"Him?"  
_  
The Creator… the Millennium Earl._

* * *

"Hey, Leo, why'd you take me here?" Jean looked around, surveying his general vicinity. "A graveyard? Oh, you want me to talk to your mom for a bit? You could've just said so-" He walked into something soft. "Oh, sorry!" He hastily apologized.

He felt a heavy hand on his head. "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you… Jean-kun."

Jean's vision was filled by a large man in a tailcoat. "The Millennium Earl?" He immediately recognized. Reaching into his pocket, he threw an onion bomb into his face. "Leo!" He skated backwards, grabbing his friend's wrist, making as much use of the diversion as he could. "Come on, we have to get out of here!" He was met by a bright smile, dazzling, even, from his rigid best friend. "Leo?" He tugged on his friend's wrist.

"Leo's been dead for a long time now~" The Earl continued in a cheery voice, looming over the pair. "Ever since his mother died~" The Earl's eyes narrowed threateningly behind his spectacles. "But, you've been causing me a lot of trouble, Jean-kun, and for that, your friend is going to be the akuma that will kill you~!"

Jean's eyes widened. "Leo? An akuma? N-no way!" He took a hold of his friend's shoulders and shook him. "Hey, Leo!"

"Get out of the way, kid." Jean registered the arrival of the Exorcist he met earlier, still with the silver dog, tensed and ready to pounce. "That is an akuma."

* * *

Phew, another chapter out of the way. I had to refer back to the manga for this one, because I wasn't sure what happened. It was a _long _time ago since I read the first few chapters. Do you think I went into too much detail with Leo and Jean? It certainly feels like I did…

Note: Remember that I'm following the _manga_ outline, not the _anime, _as in the anime, the entire event with Jean and Leo only starts after Allen gets to HQ.  
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Apologies to Howlingwolf94, I didn't reveal anything about Allen's Innocence like I said I would… It just felt appropriate to cut off at this point. I was going to continue this chapter with the confrontation with the Earl and finish it with Kanda and Allen **finally **heading to HQ, but I'm afraid that might have lengthened it a bit more. In exchange, I'll put up the following chapter as soon as I'm able so we can skip all the boring events and head right into meeting the other Exorcists and etc.

Good plan! Please continue reading and offering suggestions and support,  
-Mirai no Kibou


	3. One Memory and the Black Order

I left on the 27th for a 5-day trip. Thus, I apologize for not letting you know nor putting up my third chapter before then. Hopefully, I can get started on the fourth chapter soon.

Reviews are appreciated!

_Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino._

Simultaneously, I will try and revise the current chapters that are already up for you. It makes me –ugh- when I re-read my writing…

Besides that, please enjoy this chapter.

Reviews are appreciated. I'd like to see at least 15 with this chapter or the next. Thank you.

* * *

**Canis Lupus **

**Chapter 3 – One Memory and the Black Order**

"Leo's been dead for a long time now~" The Earl continued in a cheery voice. "Ever since his mother died~" The Earl's eyes narrowed threateningly behind his spectacles. "But, you've been causing me a lot of trouble, Jean-kun, and for that, your friend is going to be the akuma that will kill you~!"

Jean's eyes widened. "Leo? An akuma? N-no way!" He took a hold of his friend's shoulders and shook him. "Hey, Leo!"

"Get out of the way, kid." Jean registered the arrival of the Exorcist he met earlier, still with the silver dog, tensed and ready to pounce. "That is an akuma."

* * *

Kanda's eyes narrowed, fixated on the man before him – the Millennium Earl. Drawing Mugen from its sheath, he quickly ran his fingers the blade. It glowed dimly. "_Activate_." The sword now flooded the graveyard with light. After a few moments, the previously overwhelming brightness ebbed to a faint glow.

"Oh, an Exorcist~!" The Earl clapped his hands in mirth. "Nice to meet you…" He paused, tilting his head. "Wait… meet you?"

Ignoring the rotund man, Kanda faced the akuma with the Leo's appearance.  
_I was going to warn you, but I guess even you aren't stupid enough to attack the Earl without prior knowledge of his abilities. _Allen commented sardonically.

"Shut up, Moyashi. Fight now, everything else for later." Kanda spoke quickly, managing to get a sarcastic tone across.

_Yes, about that. My body…_

Kanda scoffed. _And that body can withstand such a masochist? _

"Kaichuu … Ichigen!" Swinging the blade, a small horde of silver crescent shaped insects appeared and swarmed towards the akuma, still bearing an inhuman smile in the skin of its host. A rustle was heard as the insects stopped their progress.

"… move, brat." Kanda growled, displeased that his attack had not reached the akuma, for Jean had stepped into the line of attack moments before the target could be destroyed. The illusions idled for seconds longer, a hair's breadth away from Jean's chest before vanishing.

"Why?" Jean cried, his arms outstretched beside his body in a protective stance. "Why is Leo an akuma? How do you know he is?" Jean shook his head fervently in denial. "W-we started the akuma patrol together, the two of us! We swore that we would protect everyone, s-so…" Jean stopped, trembling. "There's no way Leo could be an akuma!" He screamed.

_Chink._

The instant Jean felt cold metal tap lightly against the back of his skull, he knew that it alone had proven him wrong. He knew, that if he turned around, he would be staring down the barrel of a gun… of the akuma that his friend had created from his despair.

"Move!" Kanda snapped. He propelled his legs.

The sound of a gun rapidly firing filled the silence of the night. When the shooting ceased, particles of dust swirled, creating a barrier of smoke. A figure jumped back quickly, breaking the form of the smoke with a struggling bundle under its arm.

"Hey, Mister…" Jean said slowly, afraid. They were still under the cover of smoke, thus, they were safe for the moment. "Y-you… you shielded me from the bullets? But, the akuma virus…"

"Che. I didn't do it for you. That idiot would never get off my case if I let you die." Kanda stood up shakily. Despite his intense physical training, the virulent poison within the bullet weakened him as it coursed through his veins. Multiple times, the pentacles disappeared, only to be replaced moments later as more appeared.

_Isn't it supposed to kill immediately? _Jean thought, bewildered at the pentacles which seemed to blink on Kanda's skin.

_This tattoo… _Kanda fingered his chest, on the area above his heart. _Those scientists only made me so that it would regenerate all physical injuries… but if it was a virus…_ Kanda's body ached with pain. _Che. This is the first time I've gotten hit by a bullet… _Kanda shot Jean a dirty look. (A/n: Check the bottom of the page)

"I'm sorry! But, thank you…" Jean quivered, trailing off.

"Shut up. The Earl might hear you through the smoke. We would be at a disadvantage if we did not know where the akuma is firing from!" Kanda hissed under his breath.

_Kanda! _ A familiar voice called.

He heard footsteps approaching from behind him.

"What, Moyashi?" He growled.

The wolf Exorcist silently emerged from the smoke behind Kanda and Jean. The younger of the two nearly yelped in fear when he felt the creature brush past him.  
"Oh, it's only your pet…" Jean said, relieved.

_Pet. How annoying. _The wolf shot a dark look at Jean, who backed off in response. _As if I'd want to be degraded to the level of the common dog. However… _The wolf cocked its head. _I see you have been hit by the bullet._

"No shit, Moyashi." Kanda rasped. Jean gave him a strange look.

"Mister, who are you talking to?"

"…"

_I'll ask about why it's fading and reappearing later, but I can purify the virus from your body._

"How?"

_Like this. _Without any further warning, Allen sunk his jaws into Kanda's non-sword arm.

Kanda winced. "What the hell, Moyashi?"

"Why are you attacking your owner?" Jean said in a panic. "Bad dog-"

"Oh, for-" Kanda stopped himself mid-curse. "This is a wolf. A _wolf. _Which is also an Exorcist." Before Jean could reject the idea, he began to watch with horrid fascination as the pentacles began to fade from Kanda's skin. The pain eventually lessened until it was only a dull ache where the bullet had hit Kanda.

"At least you're useful, Moyashi." Kanda snorted. He swiftly stood up, experimentally cutting the air with his sword.

"But… how…? Aren't Exorcists always human?" Jean mumbled, shocked.

_Until me, yes, Exorcists were always human._

Jean was near to jumping due to the sudden invasion in his head. "Who…?"

_Me, of course. _A furry leg pawed at Jean's skates. _Come with me, we must move you away, lest the Earl aim for you again. _Allen turned tail and bounded into the smoke. After a few moments of hesitation, Jean followed suit.

* * *

The Millennium Earl sighed with disapproval. "This won't do, Exorcists~" Reaching into his coat, he removed a pink umbrella with a pumpkin adorning the tip. "Lero, please clear up the smoke~?"

"Yes Earl-tama!" The mouth of the pumpkin moved slightly before a colossal gust of wind pushed all the smoke away. Surveying the graveyard, most of the surrounding graves had been smashed to pieces, as well as the cobblestone path turning into a mass of smaller stones.

"Where are you, Exorcist~?" The Earl glanced around, his hands circling his eyes as if they were binoculars. A battle cry came from his left. Turning his head, he saw Kanda quickly closing the distance between him and the akuma who bore Leo's face.

"Now now, that won't do~!" The Earl lightly jumped on top of the akuma, unusual due to his bulky appearance. "I've got to keep this one, you see," He said, wagging his finger at the scowling Kanda. "I need him to kill that meddling brat- hmm, what's this?" The Earl, gaining altitude whilst sitting on the akuma, swept the graveyard with his eyes. "Where did you take Jean-kun, that little pest~?"

When Kanda gave no answer (besides glaring harder at the Earl), he shrugged. "Never mind, then~" He raised the umbrella – Lero, to the sky. The pumpkin's head began pulsing with a faint light. "Ne, Exorcist~! Do you know this saying? 'If you have many weapons, even if they're bad ones, shoot, and it will eventually hit something~!'" Like a beacon, the light attracted a black swarm visible in the night sky. Hundreds of akuma were seen. Kanda stopped.

"Jean-kun~! I know you're there, hiding~! You're annoying, you know~? You claim I'm a bad person by making akumas yet you have none of your own power at all~!" The eyes behind the spectacles narrowed. "I make akuma for humans!" He patted the akuma he was sitting on – Leo. "It's so ugly, isn't it? This is a physical manifestation of a human's heart! You think I just make weapons out of them, but akuma are what come from the hearts of humans… just like this one. Your friend Leo made this, you know? When his mother died, he just couldn't-"

"Che. Shut up. Your voice is annoying!" Ignoring the hordes of akuma he would have to face simultaneously, Kanda brandished his sword, running at the Earl.

* * *

_Jean, here. _Allen led Jean outside the graveyard, sitting him down behind the wall to remain unseen.

"T-thanks, Allen." Jean wrapped his arms around himself. "B-but… I've been so stupid." He tightened his grip. "I told Leo all about akuma and the Millennium Earl… but I didn't even consider him. I knew all about akuma, but I knew nothing about humans!" Tears were flowing now.

Allen remained silent, looking at Jean, knowing just to listen in fragile moment such as these.

In the distance, Allen heard Kanda curse loudly.

_Jean… _Allen nudged the boy with his muzzle. _I have to go. Kanda will need me to help him. _Allen looked up in the sky, seeing the thousands of black dots – akuma.

"Wait, Allen, one more thing-"

Hearing his request, Allen nodded once before speeding off.

* * *

"I don't think you quite understand your situation, Exorcist." The Earl said icily. "You see, with-"

_Stop, Kanda. _A voice echoed in his head. _You can't take down that many at once._

"Oho, reinforcements~?" The Earl clasped his hands. "But you know… it won't make a difference."

_He can hear the Moyashi speaking to me? _Kanda thought, bewildered.

_Leave this to me, Kanda. I have an ability that can take all these akuma down in one shot. _

"Oh? I'd like to see you try!" The Earl waltzed on top of Leo's akuma before pointing down at… a wolf? "What?" The creator's eyes widened in surprise.

_Howling – Long Range! _Allen sat back on his haunches, tilted his head, and howled. The Innocence imbued howl covered the town like a blanket, vibrations jolting through the ground due to the destructive power of the howl. It was much stronger than what Allen had used to draw Mark out (chapter one). The level ones covering the sky began to scream in pain as a few of them exploded, soon followed by the rest. The only akuma to remain intact was Leo's akuma, still carrying the Earl.

Abruptly, the howling stopped as more blood dripped from the wolf's jaws. Wheezing heavily, it fell heavily on its side.

"You masochistic Moyashi!" Kanda yelled at Allen before charging the remaining akuma.

"Oh dear~" Both the akuma and the Earl avoided Kanda by rising higher into the sky. "That's an irritating ability you have there…" The Earl mused as he solemnly scrutinized the wolf lying on the ground, still attempting to get up.

_Kanda, don't worry about me, just… destroy the akuma! _

_

* * *

_

"_Wait, Allen, one more thing…" Jean asked, shivering behind the wall. _

_What is it?_

"_Please destroy Leo, t-that idiot…"_

_

* * *

_

Kanda instantly sliced through the sole surviving akuma, and as he did so, the Earl back flipped into the air, opening the umbrella, Lero. He began to swing his legs back and forth as if he were walking. The Earl glanced at the wolf. _This must be…_

Weakly lifting its head, the wolf and the Earl's eyes met. As if it had been shot, the wolf once more flopped down.

_Then that wolf must be… _"This is only the beginning of the final act, Exorcists~!" The Earl began to speak as he was in the midst of leaving. "I am the Millennium Earl, Creator of all akuma, and I will bring an end to this world and mankind with its corrupted Gods!" He raised a hand and pointed at the fallen Allen. "And you, Allen Walker, will be personally killed by me once more!" With that, the Earl vanished into the sky.

_How… _

Kanda sheathed his sword with a scoff and languidly walked over to Allen. "What, Moyashi?"

_How… did he know my name…? _

The wolf's body went limp.

_What… is this feeling? _

"Oi Moyashi! Stop dying!"

* * *

I was abandoned. I was found in the streets, discarded by my parents for having a deformed arm.

My birthday is December 25th. Christmas, the very day that my foster father, Mana Walker adopted me.

My name is Allen Walker, and I made my father, Mana Walker, into an akuma.

* * *

"_Would you like me to revive Mana Walker?" A large man with a top hat leaned around a newly made grave marker – a cross with simple name engraved into it. Peering down in the falling snow, a young boy sat stiffly in front of the grave, an expression of pure melancholy on his face. The boy's eyes overflowed with tears as they trickled down his cheeks. _

He wasn't my real father… but he definitely was, to me. He, in spite of my abandonment and my deformed arm, took me in and raised me like his own son.

_A dark skeleton resembling a mechanical doll appeared in front of him. The frame holding the skeleton trembled slightly as the soul of Mana Walker returned. His name was quickly stitched into an odd hat with a reversed star that sat attached to the skull. _

"_All… Allen…" A hoarse voice croaked. "You… you made me into an akuma…"_

"_Mana!" The boy, recognizing his foster father's voice, called out in happiness. His reason for living had returned._

However…

_The akuma leapt out of the frame, brandishing its scythe like arms. "Allen… you made me into an akuma!" In its rage, the akuma sliced through the nearby boy's left eye. The boy's remaining eye, unscathed, widened in fear and shock._

This was not his father. His father would never do this to him…

_The boy hit the ground with a thump. He still lived, and he still breathed…_

_The skeleton bent over him. "I'll curse you! I'll curse you, Allen!" _

_A tear trickled down his cheek._

_Satisfied, the Millennium Earl left, searching for more tragedies._

_His largely deformed left arm twitched noticeably under the glove. The fabric was instantaneously ripped apart as the deformed arm – Innocence – made its first invocation. A large claw emerged, instantly crushing the akuma._

_A pained scream._

_The boy's right eye stared in alarm at the arm. "What… what's happening?"_

_Of its own volition, the arm began crawling towards the akuma, struggling to recover from the attack. _

_Allen did not care that his father had sliced him through the eye. "Mana? Please…" He pleaded to his arm. "Please, stop! Don't hurt him!" _

"_Allen…" The claw now lunged for the skeleton. "I love you. Please… destroy me." _

_A sickening bone crunching sound was heard. A scream of despair ripped from the throat of Allen Walker, a boy cursed by his foster father whom he had made into an akuma, with his newly found anti-akuma weapon._

For an akuma to be made, two deaths must occur.

I was born with a parasitic anti-akuma weapon, Innocence. It is my fate to fight as an Exorcist, with Mana's curse – an ability to see the souls attached to akuma – side by side. The light and the dark give birth to gray, which will destroy the Millennium Earl and save the world.

* * *

A single eye opened. It blinked lazily before the surrounding came into focus. Immediately, a scowling face greeted him.

"Took you long enough to heal, Moyashi. Took you even longer to wake up."

Feeling vibrations, the wolf quickly sat up. Disregarding Kanda's comment, he glanced around. They were in a boat in a place akin to a… sewer? Who was the man paddling the boat? Water dripped from the ceiling, hitting Allen on the head. The wolf yelped, jumping slightly.

"Oi, don't shake the damn boat." The swordsman informed sourly before looking away.

Allen remained silent. He could feel his head pounding in his ears. What was it, that he saw, when he met the Creator's eyes? A vision of another Exorcist's past? An Exorcist who happened to have the same name as him? Allen jaw tightened. For the moment, he would stay silent about it, until things became clearer.

Stepping off the boat, Allen curiously cocked his head, glancing around. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, Kanda was off, taking large strides. Allen bounded after him, swiftly catching up and keeping pace.

_Black Order? _

"Hn." Kanda grunted.

Kanda climbed up a winding stairway, Allen following with little difficulty. Slowly, light began to fill the dimly lit stairwell, indicating an exit. Reaching the top of the staircase, Allen shook his head, blinking as the bright light blinded him. Kanda was a few steps in front of him, greeted by a tall Asian man in a white lab coat holding a pink coffee cup comically designed with a rabbit. His left was flanked by an Asian girl holding a clipboard. The two were strikingly similar in appearance. Quietly, Allen walked up to Kanda's side.

"Welcome back, Kanda." Komui took a quick sip from his coffee cup, quivering with anticipation. Lenalee, likewise, repeated the greeting. "So, where's the Innocence?"

"Oi, Moyashi." He pointed a thumb at Komui. "This is the siscon Supervisor."

_Siscon? _Allen choked slightly in amusement. _Pleasure. I suppose this is Komui._

"Woah…!" Komui flinched slightly in surprise. "There's a voice talking in my head."

_Down here, Supervisor. _

Komui glanced over the top of his spectacles, looking down. A large gray wolf sat on its legs, looking up at him almost… expectantly?

"Amazing…" Komui dropped down to his knees to examine the Innocence imbued creature. "In appearance, you look like a normal wolf." Komui faintly heard the echoes of a chuckle in his mind.

"Nii-san…" A voice piped up from next to him. Lenalee was also bending over, curious. "You forgot to introduce yourself."

"Oh yeah, right right!" Komui said clumsily. He held out a flat palm. "I'm Komui Lee, Chief Supervisor."

Allen pawed him on his hand. _Allen Walker. Nice to meet you._

"I'm Lenalee Lee. I'm his sister, and I'm also an Exorcist." Lenalee similarly held out her own hand.

_Nice to meet you, Lenalee. _He repeated the same gesture with slightly less formality.

"Now now, Allen, I know you're a wolf, but that doesn't mean I won't be watching you! You are a boy, after all, and I need to protect my sweet Lenalee-"

A clipboard met the ranting scientist's head.

"Nii-san…" Lenalee chided.

"Sorry, sorry!" Komui shielded his head before adapting a more serious expression.

"Welcome to the Black Order and your new home, Allen Walker."

_Home, hm?_

_

* * *

_

A/n: The anime is different from the manga, as Kanda's life is tied to the lotus (no mentions of Second Exorcists in the anime). This is my personal take on Kanda's abilities as a Second Exorcist. I don't remember seeing him shot by an akuma bullet in the manga before, so I have no idea how his regenerative abilities work. If I am incorrect, feel free to correct me and I'll amend it immediately.

But phew, that took a long time to write, even if I knew what I was going to write about.

You know that feeling I was talking about the last chapter? The feeling that I was reusing a lot of words because I couldn't think of any other? Yeah, it happened again. It doesn't feel terribly satisfying.

I hope it isn't too boring reading about a different adaptation of the manga... which is still very much like the manga. However, future events will be altered A LOT now that Allen is a wolf... there might not even be a Leverrier or Link in the story (not that I particularly liked them, in any case).

I'm terribly sorry for the late update. At this moment, I will begin revising my chapters... unless someone would like to beta for me? :)

I hope this chapter was to your liking. Review if you'd like, and please continue reading!

-Mirai no Kibou

If anything is unclear, you may ask me. Corrections are appreciated too! If it does not spoil too much, I might answer a few questions - however, I will answer in PMs ONLY.


	4. Hevlaska and Prophecy

This has got to be the fastest chapter I have put up yet. If the speed of the update has taken away from the quality of the chapter, I apologize (Do I apologize every chapter?). It felt important to get this chapter up as soon as possible - it has to do with Hevlaska and the Prophecy for Allen's Innocence (which is SLIGHTLY different - don't worry, when we get later in the story, everything will reveal itself in due time).

I feel this chapter is a little boring. Haha, I suppose that is normal for a quickly written chapter. It also happens to be the shortest chapter so far. I think that's hardly fair, but Writer's Block fell in front of me when I tried to go further. PLEASE tell me if you find anything confusing or incorrect - it is VERY common in speedily written chapters.

_Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man, Katsura Hoshino does. _

Oh yes, to my readers - Do you feel like I'm lagging or hurrying the storyline too much? So far, I've taken 1 - 2 manga chapters for one chapter of this story. If that is too slow / fast, please let me know - I'll change the story later to reflect majority votes.

Other than that, please enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Canis Lupus**

**Chapter 4 – Hevlaska and Prophecy **

"Welcome to the Black Order and your new home, Allen Walker."

_Home, hm?_

_

* * *

_

Glancing at the clipboard, Lenalee looked up at Kanda, who seemed ready to bolt at any moment. She sighed. "Kanda, mission success. You can go now-"

As soon as the word 'go' had left Lenalee's mouth, Kanda was off, striding down the hallway.

Lenalee watched him go, shaking her head, as if expecting it. "And I still had one more thing to tell him too…" She brightened instantly. "But-!" Lenalee turned to Allen, smiling. "I get to show you around. Nii-san has a few things to prepare before he briefs you on everything." She began to walk down the hallway, following the direction Kanda had disappeared into.

"The Order is quite large, so it is normal to get lost if you are new." Lenalee explained as the pair strolled around the Headquarters.

Allen nodded silently. _Being a wolf in this case is an advantage then. I can smell the aroma of the cafeteria food from here. _

Lenalee continued with the tour. "Right now, we're walking over the training level over there." She gestured over the railing on the walkway they were on. It was bare save for a few practice dummies which had obviously seen much use due to the wear. Stepping off the walkway, they moved into a room with several striped couches and low coffee tables. "This is the lounge." Lenalee walked into the stairwell and began climbing, her boots clacking against the granite. "There are other rooms too, such as the library and the science labs, but I'll show them to you later." Stopping at an exit in the stairwell, Lenalee moved in front of the open space, as if trying to prevent the wolf from going in. "This is the fourth floor. Komui's personal labs are located here. Don't come to this floor. Ever." Lenalee deadpanned with a bright smile. "Let's keep going." She abruptly continued walking upwards.

_Uh… _Allen glanced through the exit and saw a battered door of metal, covered with a red cross which was smeared on with…

Allen paled and quickly hurried after the Asian Exorcist.

"Oh yes, and under normal circumstances, Exorcists get their own rooms."

_Own rooms? _Allen repeated, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. _Wait… _He frowned. _Under normal circumstances?_

"Yeah, about that…" Lenalee scratched her head, sheepish. "Since you are a special exception, my brother planned to have you roomed with another Exorcist. I hope you don't mind."

_I have no problems, but… is the room big enough to accommodate both of us? _

"Yes, we are having your roommate moved to a larger room for you two to share." Lenalee checked her clipboard. "I think we have to go find Nii-san now."

_Wait, one last question, who-_

"Allen! Lenalee!" Allen was interrupted from asking the vital question by Komui, who had appeared from nowhere. "We are going to the Biology section. They have everything prepared."

_Biology? _Allen asked, confused.

"Yes, Allen, since your body can't be treated and healed like any other Exorcist, I've requested the help of the biology section, who are well versed with human as well as animal anatomy."

_Treated?_ Allen looked surprised. _I'm fine. _

"I had Kanda-kun report while you were knocked out. He said your body constantly receives rebounds from the Innocence since it is practically a part of you. This is just a precautionary measure to ensure your… capacity to fight."

_I see. _Allen bowed his head, glancing at the ground, a contemplative expression playing on his canine face.

* * *

"Astounding…" Reever Wenham, Science Department Head exclaimed. A full analysis of the Exorcist wolf's anatomy was splayed on the monitor in front of him. Reever was present to oversee and ensure the accuracy of the reports made by the biology department. "Supervisor, this here-" Reever tapped a pointer against the screen at an organ in the wolf's body. "Allen here is fully wolf, through and through- however, the only difference is that this organ exists. This organ produces and maintains Innocence in all the cells. Basically, he is Innocence in a canine form."

_Hey! _Allen exclaimed, insulted, while being scanned by the machines.

"Oh, sorry about that, Allen." Reever rubbed his head. He would never get used to this telepathic thing.

"Continue the report, Reever." Komui stared intently at the screen, curious.

"Right. Any previous wounds – or at least, evidence of wounds existing," Reever pointed at two different places on the screen, which were fading slowly, but noticeably. "-are disappearing at a much faster rate than normal."

Komui examined the monitor with sad eyes. _Just like Kanda-kun, huh… _"Allen." He said loudly, bringing the wolf's attention to him.

_Yes, Komui?_

"Were you… born with this organ, or did you synchronize with Innocence sometime in your life?"

Allen remained silent for a moment. _I… believe I was born with it. My mind was at the surface._

"What do you mean?" Komui's brows furrowed in confusion.

_Humans believe that animals are just mindless creatures with no heart or thought except for our own. That's untrue. We… we have a mind, which is normally completely overwhelmed by our instincts. The Innocence born with me reversed that, allowing me the capability of telepathic speech in addition. _

"Are you able to communicate with other animals?" Komui pressed on.

… _I was abandoned at birth by my birth mother. _The voice continued, not betraying any sadness or regret. Was there a hint of… bitterness? _I was abandoned because I could interact with humans. I could not talk to my family because of the Innocence within me. But I learnt of you, the Black Order, and the Innocence within me from one of your own. _

"Who?" Komui was stumped. Who could have discovered Allen with his Parasitic Innocence and never have reported it to the Order?

_I do not know. All I remember is silver hair and a sea of gray. _

_

* * *

_

"Well, since your wounds were almost fully healed anyway and I can't access the Innocence, I won't be able to operate." Komui nibbled on his finger sadly, mourning at the loss of the chance to operate.

Allen briefly recalled the large drill. He shuddered.

As the platform the two were on slowly descended into the darkness, Allen glanced around nervously. The light was beginning to lessen.

_Uh… Komui, where are we going?_

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Komui looked at him, away from the controls he was operating. "We're going to see Hevlaska."

_Hevlaska?_

"You'll see." Was all Komui offered ominously.

Allen decided not to hear and found a sudden interest in the railing. Within 10 mere minutes of meeting the man, one message had been clearly sent to him: Komui was insane.

"You possess the Innocence of God…" A chorus of voices greeted Allen as the platform came to a stop. "Once again, we have grasped God…"

Allen stood up and stretched before spotting a light set on several people seated in a row.

"Don't worry." Komui reassured. "They are the Grand Generals, the people of our Boss." Komui looked to the darkness surrounding them. "Now, show your worth."

_Excuse me? _Allen began incredulously before several tentacle like vines wrapped around him, pulled him off the platform and into the darkness. Soon he found himself held up several meters up and away from the platform he was previously on, staring straight at a large luminescent creature which appeared to be female.

"_Inno… Innocence…" _The creature rasped out in a feminine voice. The tentacles wrapped around Allen began to painlessly probe through his veins and body.

_What… _Feeling an abrupt dizziness, Allen's mind passed out, unawares to Komui.

* * *

_Strange… this is… familiar, somehow… _Hevlaska mused as she probed the Innocence.

It has been a long time, Hevlaska. A boy with hair as white as pure snow appeared, adorning a black Exorcist coat. A jagged scar ran down the left side of his face, a reversed star cut neatly above his left eye.

_Allen?_

Welcome to my soul. The boy answered, standing in the midst of a gray void.

* * *

"Hevlaska? Hevlaska?" Komui was worried. Hevlaska had never lost focus like this.

The ethereal form twitched slightly. "…Komui?" The echoing voice asked.

"What happened?" Komui glanced at the bundle of fur that was Allen, still within Hevlaska's grasp. The wolf hastily shot up.

…_huh? _Allen's wolfish head whipped around. _What just happened?_

"I've finished probing your Innocence…" Hevlaska stated slowly. "Please do not be frightened… I merely wanted to… touch your Innocence and learn about it…" She lowered Allen to the platform, steadying him before releasing the tentacle-like arms.

The wolf bowed its head. _I'm sorry for panicking._

"No worries, Allen-kun~!" Komui waltzed up next to the wolf, scratching his ears. "Hevlaska has that kind of impression on every – wan?" Komui managed to avoid getting bitten as Allen sunk his jaws into the clipboard he was holding.

…_can I bite you? Just this once?_

"Ahahahaha…" Komui backed off nervously. "You've had your try! Now, Hevlaska, what's your conclusion?"

"Synchronization rate… 93%..."

_Synchronization rate?_

"A numerical representation of your capability in activating and fighting with your Innocence." Komui explained quickly.

"The lower the number… the harder it is to invoke…" Hevlaska finished. "Allen Walker… your Innocence… will bring about the Conclusion… be it for better for worse, I do not know… but the fate you carry on your shoulders is greater than any other… you must remember yourself so as to not get crushed by this great burden… this is what I sense…"

"Interesting…" Komui murmured, thinking. He remained silent for a few moments before he seemed to remember something. "Oh yeah, Allen… do you know the story?"

_What story? _

"I'll take that as a no then. Every Exorcist has to know this story. Only the Priests, the Vatican, and the Millennium Earl know of it. It is rather long, so get comfortable." Komui leaned against the railing of the platform.

* * *

It all began a century ago. A cube was found.

"_To our descendents…_

_We won against the darkness,_

_Yet some were lost in the process._

_As time progresses, _

_The darkness will return._

_And so, we leave you with this message…"_

That cube carried inscribing from previous Apostles of God, far back in time. It gave instructions on how to use 'God's Crystal' – otherwise known as Innocence.

Anti-akuma weapons are forged from Innocence. However, only compatibles can use it. They are known as God's Apostles… or Exorcists.

The Cube, Innocence, was used by its creator to fight against the Millennium Earl. They won the war.

But ultimately, the world came to an end. This is recorded as "Noah's Great Flood". The Cube, however, dubs it the Three Days of Darkness, and predicts such an event will reoccur in the future.

Following the Prophecy, the Earl has returned, and with it, the revival of the Black Order and the Apostles. As a result of Noah's Flood, the Innocence has spread throughout the world. The Earl's army is moving…

* * *

"The Earl is seeking to destroy all Innocence so he can be victorious in this war. There are 109 pieces of Innocence in total. The Black Order's purpose is to gather an army of compatibles to counter the Earl's. Ultimately, it is a race against time to find Innocence. If we lose…"

_The world will end. _Allen nodded, understanding.

"Fight!" A cry rose from one of the seated figures. Allen turned to look at them, surprised.

"That is your duty, Apostle. You have been chosen by the Innocence. It is your duty. Fight!"

Allen quietly pawed at the ground. _It is… a big responsibility. _

"Yes. With you, we have 19 Exorcists in total now. They are currently scattered all over the world on missions. But did you know? Hevlaska's an Exorcist too!"

_Is that true? _

"I'm a different type… than all the other Exorcists… I'm the accommodator of the Cube… but… I have met many Exorcists… may God protect you, Allen… may He protect you… this time…"

_This time? _

Komui seemed not to have heard the last of Hevlaska's words. "Thank you very much, Hevlaska. We'll take our leave now."

Hevlaska sent him away with a curt nod before sinking back into the darkness. The platform began to rise.

_This time? _The weight that those words carried to him…

* * *

Lenalee was there to greet them when the platform returned to its docking station. "Nii-san." She greeted. Making it almost seem polite, Lenalee continued by passing a message. "Reever-san told you to stop idling and to get back to those papers."

Komui lunged at his sister, hugging her tightly. Comical tears escaped like fountains from his eyes. "B-but, but! There's so many of them!"

"Work it out." She said bluntly with a smile before handing him over to a livid Reever. She turned to Allen, who had been watching the entire interaction with amusement. "I'm going to take you to your room now. I think your roommate is in there."

Following Lenalee, the two walked down a flight of stairs and down a long hallway.

Allen glanced at the decorations covering the walls, which included various paintings and medieval-like statues.

"Here we are." Lenalee stopped in front of an ordinary wooden door.

Allen whipped his head around. They were near the end of the hallway.

_I forgot to ask earlier, but who is my roommate-_

Allen caught sight of a painting hung next to the door of his new room. It depicted an eerie clown figure bearing a coffin shaped object on his back, a cross engraved into the center of it. The impression was given that the clown was walking, a shackle attached to the wrist closer to the front – left – of the painting. Somehow, it was… nostalgic.

_A red hand touched the painting. _

"_Hey, Mana…"_

Fate won't decide for me. I will make my own choices.

"_Keep walking forward… don't ever stop… I promise. I will keep walking forward until the day I die." _

"Allen?"

Allen snapped out of his reverie. _Sorry, what?_

"You spaced out for a second there…" She eyed him concernedly. "But, time to meet your roommate." Lenalee raised her fist and knocked on the door.

After a few moments, footsteps were heard approaching. The door swung open with a creak. "… what." An all too familiar gruff voice grunted.

…_Kanda?_

"Moyashi?" The incredulous look was replaced with a scowling face. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

And that is it for the first chapter.

If my portrayal of Allen feels 'weak' to you (like he does in many other stories) by making him faint and pass out all the time (that's the impression I received), sorry, it is necessary to include all the flashbacks. I'm certain that most people know what is going on right now with Allen at the moment. The impact won't be that great though, until later in the story.

Also, if it feels like I'm holding a bias towards Kanda (by making him the first Exorcist to find Allen AND to also room with him), I apologize. He is my favorite character, I will admit, but if this story is starting to seem like a shounen-ai between the two by me pushing them together too much, I assure you, it is not (Coincidentally, to make you even more suspicious, Yullen is my favorite pairing). I have never attempted shounen-ai, but I might sometime in the future - JUST NOT IN THIS FIC, so shounen-ai haters can rest easy. In fact, this fic will be generally void of pairings unless the original storyline, which I'm following, calls for it.

If you spot any corrections, please let me know - I'll change it right away. If my writing style feels awkward and could use some improvement, please offer me criticism and guide me. I am always looking to improve as a writer to maximize my readers' enjoyment.

Pointless flames will be taken to bake cookies. I'm hungry right now.

I hope this chapter was to your enjoyment, I'll begin working on the fifth chapter soon.

-Mirai no Kibou


	5. Public Appearance

-cue profuse apologizing-

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry for not updating! I would be lying if I said I did not have Internet access. This was a particularly, ah, difficult chapter for me to write. That, and I was so distracted with boredom that I was too bored to think of what to write. Did that make sense? :)

I'm sorry if you feel a little cheated for such a short chapter - I feel like I'm cheating myself after such a long... break. This chapter doesn't really develop the plot that much, but it is somewhat Allen-centric, so if you read between the lines, you'll understand a little more about our wolfish protagonist. One of these chapters, when everything about Allen is revealed, I'll post a quick bio you know where he stands.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own D. Gray Man. It belongs to Katsura Hoshino.

* * *

**Canis Lupus**

**Chapter 5 – Public Appearance  
**

After a few moments, footsteps were heard approaching. The door swung open with a creak. "… what." An all too familiar gruff voice grunted.

…_Kanda?_

"Moyashi?" The incredulous look was replaced with a scowling face. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

_Well, this is my room… apparently. What are you doing here? _

"What? …oh, hell no-!"

"Sorry to set you up like this, Allen, Kanda…" Lenalee glanced down at her clipboard, pretending to be looking at something important so as to avoid their accusing eyes. "Nii-san said that we needed a cover story for Allen. If word got out that an animal is able to use Innocence…" She trailed off, a fearful glint worming its way into her eyes.

Kanda understood immediately, frowning, whilst Allen appeared no less confused or betrayed than earlier.

"Just so you know, the story is that Kanda found an animal on his mission that can assist with locating Innocence. …I know you won't like it, Allen, but in short, we are making you Kanda's… pet. In name only!" She hurriedly added, hoping not to get a rise out of Allen.

He remained silent for a few moments. _…I understand. _He reluctantly consented. _In light of such, am I only going to be dispatched on missions with Kanda only? _

"Most likely, but anything unanticipated might happen. You might get to work with other Exorcists besides Kanda, but…"

_I see. _Allen yawned, his mouth opening widely to reveal his Innocence plated teeth. _It seems my body is quite tired. I will turn in for the night. A good night to you both. _Allen squeezed through the slightly ajar door before disappearing from the two Exorcists' sight.

"Please try to get along with Allen." Lenalee requested pleadingly. "You can understand, can't you, Kanda?" Lenalee had lifted the clipboard to conceal her face, with the only feature visible being her guilt ridden violet eyes.

"… whatever." With a quiet 'good night', Kanda turned away from Lenalee and retreated into Allen's and his room, shutting the door with a quiet click.

"Yeah, good night…" Lenalee's eyes lingered on the door for a few moments before she realized what hour it was. "I have a mission tomorrow morning…" She left, her boots clacking audibly down the hallway as she walked.

Kanda stood with his back facing the door, bathed in the moonlight streaming from the large windows of the new room.

"_You can understand, can't you, Kanda?" _

_The Second Exorcists…_

"Che."

A rustle was heard as the bed dipped slightly. Covering himself with the sheets, Kanda turned on his side, facing away from the sleeping Allen. His eyes drifted shut. A few minutes later, the breathing had evened and the figure asleep in the bed shifted no longer, his mind wandering the world of dreams.

In the corner, a single grey eye was open, scrutinizing the figure in the darkness before it too, shut, sending the mind of the silver pelted Exorcist into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Kanda always woke at 6 in the morning. It was a built in function that seemed to act on its own, as his body was quite used to strict physical self-training early in the mornings. Rising from his bed, he stretched slightly, content with the way his muscles popped back into place after a whole night of sleeping on his side. He picked up Mugen, propped against the side table and laid it next to him as he sat down on the bed to pull on his boots. Picking up his katana Innocence, Kanda walked over to the door, wrenching it open. Curiosity prompted him to give one last fleeting glance at the large doggy bed that Allen had occupied last night – vacant now. He stared at it a moment longer, his gaze unfathomable before he exited their room, the door clicking shut behind him.

* * *

Allen always woke at 5:30 in the morning. He normally had to hunt early for his breakfast – but considering the Black Order and its forests were devoid of much animal life, he supposed that he would have to go to the cafeteria for food. Oddly enough, he was normally starving in the mornings (and ate large portions of food), yet today hunger was nothing but a small pang. He might as well get some training in before the cafeteria opened for the morning – his Innocence felt slightly more difficult to invoke as of recently. Relying on his nose, he followed the scent of nature as it took him to the lush forests surrounding the base of the Order's building.

Lying down in the dewy grass, Allen willed his furry body to relax, pressing himself gently against the ground. He breathed deeply, pausing for a moment, allowing his mind to focus.

… _Innocence… _He could feel the circulating Innocence in his body freeze and vibrate slightly. …_activate!_

A bright green light flashed through the forest between the trees before it faded.

* * *

Kanda made his way to the normal clearing he trained in, wrapping his blindfold around his eyes as he did so. He knew the area well enough to navigate around without his sight. That, hand in hand with his daily training honed his other senses so he would be able to fight, sight or not.

"Hm?" Kanda hummed quietly under his breath, detecting another presence in front of him. He felt a slight thrum disrupting the still air. _Innocence too. _Smirking slightly, he drew his Mugen silently as he approached the still figure. Raising the katana in the air, he slashed downward, intent on rousing the other Exorcist into a sparring session.

Allen's ears twitched slightly as he heard boots silently walking towards him. It would have caught any other person unawares, but he was not a person, was he? _I should stay quiet… _Allen reasoned, his eyes remaining shut. _I will attack as soon as he or she reaches. _Tensing, he waited, breathing normally as to give the appearance that he was in a sleeping state. The quiet hiss as a blade was drawn from its sheath. A pause… and swing.

_Clang!_

Allen let an instinctual growl escape his throat as his Innocence armored teeth caught the weapon. Grey eyes opened as they momentarily scrutinized his attacker.

…_Kanda? What the hell?_ Allen incredulously demanded.

The Japanese Exorcist slipped the blindfold down his face, letting it rest loosely around his neck. "Hmph, Moyashi."

_Kindly stop calling me a bean sprout. _Allen shook his head, loosening his bite on Kanda's katana. _I've picked up enough languages to know what you are saying. Where did you even get that name from? And you are the one who attacked me first! _

"Shut up. You talk too much." And Kanda lunged once more at the other Exorcist. "What did you come here for?" He followed through with another slash as Allen, light on his paws, dodged and landed a few feet away.

Allen pulled his jaws back into a wolfish smile that looked more like a malicious grin as he understood. _Let us waltz, then. _

_

* * *

_

At seven, the cafeteria was already bustling with life as Allen limped in, favoring his right leg over his left. _It was just a light spar, Kanda. Couldn't you have gone any easier?_

He was greeted with no answer as Kanda shrugged past him, sporting a few bruises of his own from their training.

_Well, I suppose good training is like that… _Allen mused quietly. _Haven't gotten a workout like that in a while. _Noticing the mass amount of people staring conspicuously at him, Allen remembered his cover and quickly trailed after Kanda.

The Order's cafeteria, filled mostly with Finders, quickly broke into whispers.

"Hey, that's Kanda-san's new pet, right?"

"What would he need a pet for?"

"Well, I heard that it can find Innocence…"

Allen kept his head down, finding the floor more interesting as he pretended not to notice their stares and quiet mutterings. _Act natural, act natural… _Reluctantly, he made his way over to Kanda who was already seated and eating his usual meal of soba noodles. _Kanda? _He tapped lightly on the edge of Kanda's boot with his paw. _How am I going to eat? _Kanda continued slurping his noodles, ignoring Allen in favor of his food. _Well, if you are going to ignore me… _Allen grasped for an excuse. _Maybe I should tell Komui that you don't need to go on that mission we have today –_

Kanda was steps ahead of him. He was already up on his feet and walking towards Jerry, his noodles abandoned momentarily, shocking many of the finders. "Oi." He snapped at Jerry, the cook. "Get the dog something to eat."

_How many times do I have to tell you, I'm a __**wolf**_-

Kanda was already walking back towards his table.

"Uh… what does he eat?" Jerry called after Kanda.

"Whatever." Kanda grunted, already in a terrible mood after being interrupted from his meal.

"Um… well…" Jerry whipped his head around the kitchen. "Stay still, sweetie." The cook said to Allen, his finger pointed at the floor in an exaggerated motion of 'stay'. The man vanished into the kitchen. Several moments later, the entrance to the kitchen swung open, as Jerry, donned with a chef's apron, exited with a plate of fresh meat. He placed the plate in front of Allen, away from the ordering counter so as to not get in the way of others' ordering. "Here, sweetie." He quickly bustled back into the kitchen and reappeared at the counter moments later.

Allen, on the other hand, was staring at the large plateful of meat. _That… is the most delicious and beautiful meat I've ever seen…_ With that, Allen hungrily devoured the meat, his hunger having built up so much after the spar with Kanda that he almost ate the plate. The people in line watched in morbid fascination as the raw meat vanished almost instantly off the plate.

_That was… heavenly… _Allen was almost sparkling. A growl from his stomach pulled him back to Earth. _But not enough. _Cocking his head, he thought for a moment how an ordinary animal would ask for food. Taking advantage of the fact the cook, Jerry and the Finders in line were still watching him, he pushed the plate closer in their direction with one paw and sat on his haunches, looking expectant.

"Um, Jerry…" One of the Finders began. "I think it wants more."

"Really?" Jerry cooed, positively glowing. "Well, the Order does have the best and the freshest meat! Wait right there sweetie!"

* * *

By the time Allen had eaten his meal's share, Kanda had already left out of irritation due to the constant chattering of the amazed Finders. (A/n: Yes, another event has changed – I'll explain in the footnote.)

A young Finder approached Allen, who was sweeping his tongue over his jaws and teeth, savouring the taste of the eaten meat for a moment longer.

"Here, boy." The Finder stood a few feet away, crouching, with a hand outstretched. Allen pretended not to notice. However, the Finder remained rooted to the spot, adamant. Allen whined, casting a sideways glance at the Finder.

"_You monster!" The jagged stones being thrown at him slashed his flank, leaving thin cuts before it began to bleed profusely. _

Hesitantly, he took one step closer. He was met with more coaxing from the Finder.

_His mother gave him a condescending glance before she left the moonlit clearing, his sibling - pups - trailing behind her. They did not turn back as they walked. _

He was only a few inches away now. He could feel the rest of the cafeteria's population watching him with a bated breath, the Finder in front of him observing him earnestly.

"_Thank you!" A ruffle of fur as the wolf saved a little girl's village – her home – from the tragedy of an Akuma massacre. _

Allen sat before the crouching Finder, his body tensed slightly. The Finder's hand approached his head slowly. Closer… closer… the hand weighed down on his skull gently before it began to brush the fur in a relaxed gesture. Allen felt his muscles loosening. He felt… light.

"His fur is really soft!" The Finder exclaimed. His call brought a group of other Finders too afraid to approach the wolf before. "See? He's harmless!"

As Allen was swarmed by Finders rushing to pet him, a warm glow spread throughout his body.

_Is this what it is like… to not be hated?_

_

* * *

_

Reever glanced at the large huddle of Finders. He knew that in the midst of it was Allen.

"_Chief, when we prepped Allen for the test earlier, he seemed a little… tense." The biologist kept his eyes fixated on the door that Allen had left through only moments earlier._

"_Hm? How so?" _

"_Well, for example, they will probably tense when preparing to attack or feeling threatened. My guess is that Allen is… either not used to humans or does not trust them to some extent. I'm thinking the latter." _

"Allen!"

The wolf Exorcist, noticing Reever, gently shook off the petting hands and bounded off to the scientist.

_Yes, Mr. Wenham?_

"Just calling me Reever is fine, Allen. We are going to be comrades from now on, right?"

Comrades… Allen contemplated the word for a moment.

_Yes! _Allen shook his head in the affirmative, apparently happy as he followed the Australian scientist.

"You're going to see Komui. He's going to dispatch you on your first mission."

* * *

Referring to what I said earlier about the changed event:

Kanda trying to strangle Buzz in the anime and manga does not occur here because, well, they were talking about Allen and not their deceased comrade. So he just left out of annoyance. Very anti-climatic, I know, but I feel like I've written too much about Kanda already (and considering next chapter, if you know the anime and manga really well, is his first mission with Kanda...).

How was that for a short return chapter? Short, right? I know. But now, hopefully the entire Mater (or Matel, whichever I will prefer to use when I write it) mission can be condensed into two chapters. If I'm lucky, one.

Please drop a review! It helps me to improve as a writer! Also, please point out any mistakes or inconsistencies you may spot and let me know!

-Mirai no Kibou

Now for an apologetic omake. Well, it isn't really an omake. Just a little did-you-know.

* * *

**Omake - How Allen Received the name Moyashi**

Kanda landed lightly on his boots next to the policewoman and the wolf, who registered his presence but did not turn around. His eyes were fixated on the glowing animal. Distinctly, he heard the policewoman ask something, near hysterics, but he ignored it in lieu of examining the animal.

_Here to pick me up? _A voice intruded in his mind. Kanda nearly winced in surprise, but carefully resisted the reflex from his supreme control over his body. He chose to remain silent, knowing the echoing voice belonged to the wolf in front of him.

_Not much fun, are you? _The voice prodded a second time, teasingly. This telepathic wolf's voice was becoming a nuisance, honestly. He really needed a way to silence the animal and get it to fight so he could observe its battle prowess. Kanda decided that straightforwardness was the way to go.

"Show me what you can do..." He paused. The wolf oddly reminded him of a vegetable. The normally white tipped tail seemed more like a green from the glow of the Innocence, and the angle at which the light shone on the wolf's lustrous coat made it a shining silver - close enough to white. A bean sprout it is, then. Not that he particularly liked them. "Moyashi."

_Moyashi? _was the last thing the voice asked, incredulously, before the wolf leapt into combat.

And thus Kanda found the name of 'Moyashi' for our vegetable resembling wolf, achieving his silent goal.


	6. The Ghost of Matel pt 1

More profuse apologizing is afoot.

Once again, I am very, very sorry for taking this long to update. I was originally planning on releasing a double chapter, but since the second chapter's still in progress, I just thought I'd spare you from waiting any longer (that's if you like this story).

With that, I present to you Canis Lupus.

Please enjoy.

* * *

**Canis Lupus**

**Chapter 6 – The Ghost of Matel pt. 1  
**

"You're going to see Komui. He's going to dispatch you on your first mission."

_Um… _As the large, wooden double doors to Komui's office swung open, Allen noticed the Chief Supervisor slumped over his desk… asleep. The man's face was sporting a few bruises, the cause of which was most likely the livid Japanese Exorcist standing in front of the mahogany desk.

"Oi, wake him up, will you?" Kanda was not in the best mood after several failed attempts to wake the Supervisor.

Reever sighed. Lenalee wasn't around, which made it much harder to rouse Komui from his exhausted slumber. Striding over to the desk with Allen quietly following, Reever bent over and leant close to Komui's ear.

"Hey, Komui. You know that mission you sent Lenalee on this morning to Paris? She's actually going to get married. You had better wake up and hurry so you can make it in time for the wedding-"

A heart stricken wail came from the scientist who was thought be sleeping. Komui shot up, his eyes fountaining tears as he effectively knocked Reever flat onto the floor.

"LENALEE! HOW COULD YOU GET MARRIED WITHOUT YOUR BROTHER-!" The beret perched atop the man's head was compressed as Kanda's fist met Komui's head.

* * *

Komui fixed his white beret. Smoothing over the wrinkles, he briefly fluffed it up before placing it back on his head. He cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. "Sorry about that." He said with a bright smile. "I didn't get any sleep until yesterday, so…"

"Neither did I." Reever supplied with gritted teeth.

Komui flapped his hand at Reever, trying to ignore him. "After I give you the mission summary, you will be leaving right away. If you want more in depth information, take a look at the mission booklet on your way there." Komui paused for a moment as Reever passed a booklet with a black cover – save for a white cross – to Kanda. Pulling on a string, a map of Italy slid down. "We've found Innocence in Southern Italy, in the abandoned city of Matel. Akuma have already discovered it – we have several finders over there at the moment holding them off. Your task is to eliminate all akuma and return the Innocence to Headquarters. Time is of the essence – you two must work as partners." Komui tugged on the string again, retracting the map into a roll. "We'll walk you to the waterway."

… _what is this? _Allen asked, almost unbelieving as Reever buckled a collar around his neck.

"Since we can't exactly tell people you're an Exorcist seeing as they wouldn't believe us anyway, this is a way to show you are part of the Black Order." Reever explained, apologetic. "It will allow you more access to other places." Turning away from Allen, he reached into the case next to him once more. "It also has a GPS and golem function built into it so we can keep track of you and talk to you during your mission. We'll be able to hear everything on your end."

Allen glanced downwards at the collar, watching fascinated as the Black Order's rose cross swung back and forth.

"And…" Allen looked up to see Reever facing him again. "We can't make a uniform for you either, as it would probably restrict your Innocence and fighting ability. So we made this…" Reever showed Allen what seemed to be a long strip of ordinary black cloth, also with a bright platinum rose cross fixed onto it. Six arms, similar to an octopus like creature, extended from the cloth. "It's meant to be extra durable for battle and can reflect most, if not all physical attacks. May I?"

Allen shifted to allow Reever to wrap the cloth around his torso. Once adjusted and smoothed over, the cross was displayed, shining and reflecting light on his back. The arm-like sleeves were respectively fitted on his legs and tail, the final 'sleeve' being a hood that fit snugly on his head, holes cut in it to allow his ears to pop out. When Reever was done, only the bottom parts of his legs and the tip of his tail, along with his face were the only things left uncovered.

"I say we did a good job!" Komui cheered frivolously. "You look good, Allen-kun!"

Allen flicked his tail experimentally. _Hm… it is very light and easy to maneuver in. Good job indeed. _He bent his front leg, stretching it. _Thank you. I cannot say much about a collar, but this is a good, ah, uniform. _He turned tail and hopped into the boat, shaking it slightly.

"Watch it, Moyashi." Kanda, already in the boat, scowled.

"Very well, Komui-san, Reever-san, we'll be off." Their Finder Toma bowed. Picking up the paddle, Toma took them away from the dock and began rowing down the river. Allen flicked his tail in farewell to Komui and Reever before they disappeared from sight whilst Kanda sat languidly on the seat, the mission briefing splayed out on his lap. He began reading the first of many pages upon pages of print to come.

* * *

**Matel – Southern Italy**

"Even if the price is your life, don't let them out!" The captain of the Finders called, adjusting the pack on his back.

The talismans emitted a low hum as they held the Akuma in place within the shield. "With this, sir…" The Finder next to the captain held a talisman in his hands. "We can buy some time before the Exorcists arrive."

"Yes…" The captain responded absentmindedly.

"What is it, sir?"

"That Akuma in the middle… it has killed many people."

Hearing a bang, the captain turned his head. His comrade lay in a pile of his own blood.

Smoke rose from within the barrier and floated through a bullet hole.

"RUN! IT'S GOING TO EVOLVE!"

A bone chilling laugh reverberated through the empty city.

_I'm an akuma, born from dark matter… thank you… for raising me._

_

* * *

_

"Please hurry, the train has arrived!" Toma gestured frantically over the railing where a train, quickly gaining speed, emerged from the tunnel.

_Hey, Kanda…_

"Later!" Kanda grunted as he swung himself over. Toma followed suit, with Allen looking impassively after them as they dropped down towards the train. With an inward sigh, Allen hoisted himself on top of the railing, balancing for a few moments before he kicked off the railing, falling towards the train.

"Where the hell is the Moyashi?" Kanda asked, trying to control his rapidly flying hair.

_Here. _A dry voice commented, followed by a quiet thump as Allen landed lightly on his paws in between the two people. A melodic laugh filled Kanda's head. _Your Black Order people are so much more different than normal people. _Allen paused, thinking._ So amusing. _He added as an afterthought, pawing at the metal roof of the train.

"Come, Kanda-san," Toma unknowingly interrupted, "We have to enter the train." Leaning over a slightly raised part of the train's roof, Toma pried it off and leapt in.

Allen continued laughing for a moment longer before barreling after Toma into the hatch. Kanda glanced after the wolf, his expression unreadable as he approached the hole and jumped in.

"-sirs, this is the first class cabin." The attendant was saying as Kanda entered. "Normal passengers will have to go into second class. Also, animals aren't allowed-"

"We are the Black Priests." Toma stated. "Please prepare a room for us."

"Black Priests?" The steward looked disbelieving for a moment until he noticed the rose cross on Kanda's chest. Glancing over at Allen, he noted that the wolf carried the same symbol on its back. He bowed low. "R-right away, sirs."

_So, Kanda, what I was saying earlier…_

The Japanese Exorcist remained quiet despite knowing that Allen knew he could hear him.

_Can you tell me what is in the mission briefing? _Allen was curled up on the seat, obviously very comfortable.

"… che."

_And that means you are too lazy to explain. _Allen lifted his head to stare at Kanda.

"Read it yourself, Moyashi."

_If I could, I would. _Allen answered softly, his gray eyes burrowing into Kanda's face.

They sat in silence for a while longer.

"An Innocence is a substance that changes." Kanda abruptly began, looking out the window. "From the time of Noah's flood until now, it has continued changing. Every time we get lured to it by its power, it can appear out of nowhere in any sort of form." He shifted slightly. "These appearances always cause eerie illusions, for one reason or another. The report details a phenomenon known as the Ghost of Matel. The Church investigates events like this, and when they believe it is Innocence, they send us in to investigate and collect it." Kanda seemed to remember something. He picked up the booklet and flipped through the pages.

_Even if the appearance of Innocence causes strange things to happen, it still doesn't explain what the Ghost of Matel is… _Allen mused, seeing Kanda read through the report once more with a furrowed brow.

"I was part of the investigation." A muffled voice broke the tension. Kanda and Allen turned to the door. "The Ghost of Matel is a doll. Nothing more."

_Living in an area filled with only stones and dry land, the citizens were miserable. Thus Matel was called 'the land forsaken by God.' To alleviate some of their suffering, they began building dolls. These dolls could sing and dance. However, they too eventually tired of the dolls, packing up and moving away. Even after 500 years… the dolls remain very much functional. _

_

* * *

_

"Moving for that long, it wouldn't be surprising if Innocence was used to create it." Kanda commented as they slid down the mountain towards Matel. Upon hearing several explosions in the distance, they hurried their progress. Kanda hooked his hand around an outcrop so as to prevent himself from falling off the edge of the mountain. Allen looked over the desolate city.

… _it's too quiet, now… _Allen pushed a small rock over the edge with his paw. _The Finders…_

"We were too slow in getting here. The Finders are probably dead by now."

"Shall I try to contact the other Finders, Kanda-san?"

_Kanda, if there are any Finders left alive, a transmission would just point out the location of those hiding to the Akuma—_

"Don't bother, Toma." Kanda gruffly replied, cutting Allen off. "Now, Moyashi, I'll say this now. If you're on the verge of death, I won't come to save you. In war, there are always sacrifices."

The wolf was silent before he broke into a canine smirk. _You are much kinder than people think you are, Kanda. But did you know? In the wild, survival of the fittest is the first and only law. _And Allen hurtled off the ledge into the city below.

"Ah!" Toma exclaimed, watching the wolf drop. "Kanda-san, the wolf…"

"Che. He's stupid but he can fight."

Allen savored battle. It was the only time he could lose himself to his instincts. It was Innocence's repayment for making him different.

_Innocence… activate! _

A bright green flashed through the unoccupied city. Moments later, two level one Akuma rose from the city along with one pierrot-like level two, attracted to the hum of power from Allen's Innocence.

Kanda continued observing from above the city. "Where they just came from is where the Innocence is. You know what to do, Toma." The Japanese Exorcist leapt off the mountain.

Allen could smell the dark matter coming closer. Honestly, how stupid Akuma were. But he supposed since they were only made to kill and collect Innocence… he snapped his jaws. His entire body was tingling to fight. _Time for a warmup, then. _From his throat ripped a cry that cut through the tension hanging in the night like a knife. The Akuma joined him in his chorus with an agonizing wail. They quickly exploded.

"_Kukukuku… I found Innocence! Innocence!" _

Allen only had a moment to sense another presence before dodging a large claw. He narrowed his eyes. _…what are you? _A putrid odor hit his nose. _Another akuma, hm? You look different. _

"_Why, of courseeee~!" _The clown like akuma spun on one foot, holding up two grubby fingers as if to prove a point. _"I'm a level two~! I'm much better than those worthless, weak level ones!" _

The wolf grinned, licking his teeth.

"_What are you?" _The clown was staring at him, his pointed teeth revealed in a malicious grin. Blood thirst played about in its otherwise blank eyes.

_Clearly the time for introductions is over, hm? _Allen's tail twitched in anticipation. The Innocence enclosed his body as they rapidly grew over his fur like crystals.

"_Exorcist…" _

"At least that Moyashi is useful for something." Kanda grumbled as he spotted a glowing cube that entrapped two cloaked figures. Landing in front of the cube, the figures inside tensed noticeably as Kanda eyed them coldly. He knelt next to a Finder whose face and skull had been thoroughly crushed by the level two, blood pooling around his head like a red halo.

"What is the code for the seal?"

"E-exorcists… you're here…" The man whispered, smiling weakly.

"If you don't want to die in vain, hurry up and answer me."

"It's… have hope… have… hope…" The man's head fell limp in his own blood.

Wordlessly, Kand approached the barrier and muttered the words. The seals deactivated and he held a hand out to the two. "Come."

"_Ohohohohohohoho… I see, I see!" _The level two was momentarily distracted from Allen as his eyes followed Kanda's return to his original position on the outcrop, holding two figures under his arms. _"I'll come to kill you later~!" _

_You won't get a chance to, because I'll kill you first. _In a swift movement, Allen sunk his sharpened teeth into the Akuma's leg.

"_Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" _The Akuma shook his leg rapidly, trying to shake or loosen the wolf's bite. _"It hurts it hurts it hurts! Let go!" _

_Losing focus in the battlefield will only speed up your death. _Allen opened his jaws, his teeth leaving the Akuma's leg. He flipped midair and landed gracefully on his feet. Sickly green circles and lines, like molecules, began forming on the Akuma's injured leg.

"_It burns!" _The Akuma cried, dancing in circles in one leg. Bloodshot eyes fixed on Allen. _"Buuuut… if I bring home at least one Innocence to Earl-sama-!" _The Akuma ripped off his amputated leg, tossing it in into a dark corner where it quickly disintegrated. _"Kill… kill… kill! Watch me, Earl-sama!" _The Akuma lunged at Allen, laughing psychotically.

On the mountain, Kanda watched.

_Worried? _

"As if, Moyashi."

_Then get going. _

Cobalt eyes watched for a second longer before the misshapen shadow of three people vanished from under the moonlight.

Gray eyes watched the outcrop for a second longer before a cry caught his attention.

"_Hey hey Exorcist, focus! It isn't fun I just kill you!" _Allen jumped above a swiping claw, allowing his tail to brush it briefly.

"_Ow ow ow!" _The Akuma nursed his now burnt hand. _"What the hell are you?" _

_I can't give you an answer I don't know myself. _

"_You're a freak! A monster!" _

…_yeah, I know. _

Apparently irritated at Allen's detachment, the Akuma pounced at him, snarling. The wolf merely snorted, sidestepping the lunge and sliced the Akuma in half with his tail.

_Never let emotions get the best of you. _Allen watched as the sliced body dissolved into sand._ Wha- _A pained howl split the night, not going unheard by the Japanese Exorcist, who was already a fair distance away in the underground labyrinth of Matel.

"_Who is letting what get the best of them… Exorcist~?"_

_

* * *

_

"What?" Kanda was briefly distracted by the howl from the girl's talking.

"To shade from the sunlight, the citizens built underground tunnels. It's like a maze, so if you don't know your way, you'll get lost." The girl under his arm squirmed slightly as she pointed at a part of the floor that was already broken open. "The ball thing can fly, right? It'll be safer if we can hide underground."

Kanda scrutinized the girl silently before he landed on the cobblestone street, followed by another jump into the open hole. He put them down carelessly.

"T-this way…" The other cloaked figure, yet to reveal his face, wheezed and gestured down a narrow corridor. Some way down the narrow corridor was a door which led to a small room, the floor having crumbled slightly due to the wear.

"You two wait in here." He roughly shoved the two in, closing the door. Turning on his golem, Toma's voice distinguished itself from the static. "Toma. What's the situation?"

"It seems that-" Loud static overtook the line, quickly followed by a piercing scream before cutting off.

"Toma. Respond!" Kanda eyed the golem. _I suppose that Toma has been killed by the Akuma… _Kanda pondered idly for a moment. _Then the next course of action is to wait for that idiot to destroy the Akuma. _

Opening the door to the room, Kanda's mouth was halfway through forming a word before noticing the room was empty. "… they got away…!" Tapping on the cobbled floor with the heel of his boot, Kanda smirked satisfactorily when he heard a hollow thump on one section of the floor. He hastily broke it open with a hard kick and plummeted into the darkness below without another thought.

* * *

Well, followers of D. Gray Man should know where this is going, right? But since this is technically an AU, more twists. *_*

Ah, the great fun of being a fanfiction writer.

WHO AGREES? :D

-Mirai no Kibou

P.S. From now on, I'll regularly update my profile as to the status of my fanfiction chapters.


	7. The Ghost of Matel pt 2

**Canis Lupus**

**Chapter 7 – The Ghost of Matel pt. 2**

* * *

From the Previous Chapter

"_Who is letting what get the best of them… Exorcist~?"_

Kanda smirked satisfactorily when he heard a hollow thump on one section of the floor. He hastily broke it open and plummeted into the darkness below.

* * *

A loud screech filled the hallowed underground halls. Two figures skidded down a wall in the darkness, a small silhouette holding onto another, larger and misshapen. Landing on the dirt covered floor, the smaller of the two quickly recovered and sat up, dredging up a cloud of dust.

"Are you okay, Guzoru?" A pale, delicate hand was extended.

"I'm fine…" A breathy voice enunciated slowly. Grasping the hand, he carefully pulled his failing body off the ground up against a crumbled pillar. He breathed heavily from the effort. Lala approached Guzoru, who instantly noticed the girl's fingers, mangled, twisted and knotted in awkward directions from sliding down the wall. "Lala, your hand…!"

Lala's undamaged hand closed around the wrist of her other hand. "It's nothing. It doesn't hurt." She moved it out of his sight, trying not to stress the sickly man. "As long as you are okay, Guzoru…" Lala trailed off, smiling sadly. It was much too late for comfort.

The man coughed abruptly, his hands balling into fists as he clutched his chest. An onslaught of wheezing, harsh and dry, began. "Ugh…" Gasping echoed within the ancient dome. Lala caught him in a gentle, yet needy hug as his coughing gradually subsided. Her pointed hat, long discarded after the fall, no longer held up her hood. It slipped, revealing two antennae like devices sitting atop a sea of long, waving, and beautiful blonde tresses, freed from their confinement.

"There isn't much time left for Guzoru, is there…?" Lala closed her eyes. "Is there anything I can do for Guzoru…?" Her grip on his arm tensed as her body shook with barely suppressed sadness.

"…sing for me, Lala…"

Tenderly moving his head onto her lap, she placed her hand onto his face and caressed it.

"Hai, Guzoru."

_「Lacrimosa dies illa_

_Qua resurget ex favilla_

_Judicandus homo reus._

_Huic ergo parce, Deus:_

_Pie Jesu Domine.」_

(See A/N for details)_  
_

* * *

Down Allen's flank flowed red. Blood escaped from the wound and hit the crumbled rocks beneath them with a loud plop. _I was careless…_ Allen chided himself. _But luckily, he missed the organs. _The pain was bearable, but his vision was beginning to blur. _This fight… was too long. My body's almost at its limit… _Even though he was feeling rather hazy from the pain, Allen found himself able to think properly. He glanced around weakly, processing his surroundings and enemy. _I underestimated it. _

The Akuma he had cleanly sliced in half was in actuality a paper mirror clone.

"_Eh~? Not what I expected…" _The Akuma's eyes shifted back and forth from examining the results of his new power and Allen. Fascinated much like a child with a new toy, the Akuma was currently ignoring Allen in lieu of the manifestation of its power. While Allen had deduced the Akuma's ability was to clone, he was quite certain what the Akuma was intending to clone – him – did not even remotely resemble its source. Allen faced a young boy with hair as white as an angel's robes, jarringly contrasted with a long red scar running through his left eye. In appearance, the boy was gentle on the eyes, yet his dead orbs gave indicated that yes, this was indeed the Akuma.

… _isn't that… a Black Order uniform? _Allen squinted his eyes, trying to force his blurry vision into focus. The dulling eyes instantly sharpened when Allen felt recognition hit him. _This… him-! _Growling, he snapped his jaw, his teeth easily ripping through the claw impaling him. The arm detached from its owner, and along with it, Allen dropped to the floor. As the Akuma screamed, clutching the stump of his mutilated appendage, the wolf struggled to remove the claw from his flesh, kicking its side with his feet. With a sickening squish, the bloodied claw fell loose and Allen leapt backwards, hoping to place some distance between him and the still agonizing Akuma. His heart beat in his ears. Hurriedly, he searched for an advantage.

_Creeeeeeeak…_

Allen jumped out of their enclosed fighting space, landing shakily on a pillar that had fallen over in their battle.

"_E-exorcist! Running away?"_ The Akuma taunted, trying to ignore the burning pain. The Akuma's skin coming in contact with Allen's Innocence plated teeth appeared to make it unable to regenerate at its usual rate. Fortunately, it had kept the Akuma busy for long enough to allow Allen to recover his wits.

_Rather, I'm being smart. _The wolf bounded away.

Mere seconds later, the entire section of the dilapidated buildings collapsed.

* * *

Kanda's eyes strained, attempting to clearly see his inadequately lit surroundings. The darkness was just blurring one object into another. Just like the girl had said, the underground city of Matel was elaborately designed, built to keep intruders in. He glanced warily at the various dirt crusted doors which he knew led to rooms specially constructed with confinement in mind. He considered breaking the floor open again, but giving the age and condition of the area he was in… what he had done upstairs to get down here was the exception, nevertheless.

His concentration broken by the faint sound of wing beats approaching from behind him, Kanda calmly turned around and tensed, a hand hovering near Mugen's hilt.

Toma emerged from around the corner, followed by his golem. "Kanda-san!" He panted heavily.

"Report." Kanda was still preoccupied looking for the pair, but in his peripheral vision, he glanced at the disheveled Finder. The bandages, normally so carefully wound around Toma's face, were slowly unwinding and coming undone. It looked rather odd – Kanda thought that he resembled a sea urchin, the way the frayed ends of the bandages protruded at odd angles. The bottom of the Finder's beige coat was in tatters, although that was no surprise, considering how often the other man was out on missions. Worn like a backpack, the communication device fortunately seemed undamaged, easily shouldered by the experienced Finder. Toma's golem levitated conspicuously next to his head, its wings flitting speedily. Yet it was unable to shake off what appeared to be dust that had accumulated on its sleek exterior. Now that he noticed, Toma seemed to be covered in a large amount of powdered gravel as well.

"As requested, I went to monitor Walker-san."

Kanda grunted. "Drop the honorifics, he's just a wolf."

"Yes." Toma lowered his head in acknowledgement before continuing. "I was investigating a building away from them. It seemed like there was a heavy battle. I believe I saw Walker escape before the building collapsed on the Akuma he was fighting."

"So that good-for-nothing wolf couldn't eliminate the Akuma. At the very least he was smart enough to leave before the structure crumbled." Kanda mused. "Fine. Did you get a visual on the enemy? Describe it."

"The Akuma's appearance changed from what it looked like before. Apparently, it can create 'skins' of a sort to wear… much like how a snake sheds its skin." Toma paused, trying to pick his words as he recalled. "I believe it had the appearance of a young man. Strangely, this young man was in an Exorcist uniform."

"What?" Kanda stopped whatever he had been doing and turned to face Toma properly. Cobalt eyes smoldered seriously. "What did it look like?"

"A scar through the left eye, silver hair and a large silver claw with a cross etched into the back."

Kanda stilled, ceasing all movement. Silver hair… a scar… an Exorcist. There was only one Exorcist that he knew – that all standing Exorcists knew; that the entirety of the Black Order knew – that matched that description…

Rustling and scratching echoed from the hallway to their left. Kanda tensed instinctively; his hand went to his sheathed katana again, closing around the hilt.

"Kanda-san, there." Toma pointed into the inky darkness of the hallway.

"K-kanda-dono…" A boy in a black coat whispered as he stumbled awkwardly out of the shadows. His red scar, luminescent in the dim lighting, seemed to pulse. Silver locks shook as the boy advanced forward, unsteady.

An image flashed before Kanda's eyes.

* * *

[ "_What business do you have with me, Eli Trick?"_ ]

* * *

Without hesitation, Kanda drew Mugen in a single fluid motion. He activated it swiftly with a smooth slide of his fingers. He raised the katana, holding it in front of him with one hand.

"Kanda-do-"

"Kaichu… Ichigen." Ripping themselves from the blade's surface, the insects materialized, shrieking. The phantom insects swarmed before surging towards the Akuma…

And stopped, erupting in a hellish screech before they faded away.

"What the hell?" Kanda voiced, disbelieving. He made to swing his katana again, yet the sound of heavy breathing prompted him to turn to the right.

There the wolf Exorcist was, beads of blood sliding down his silver pelt. Odd wheezing sounds escaped his slight ajar jaws.

"Was that you, Moyashi?" Threateningly, Kanda raised his Innocence. "Are you protecting an Akuma?" His eyes swept back and forth between the injured Exorcist and the boy, now unconscious on the floor.

_Stopped you before it was too late there, Kanda. _The Exorcist leaned against the wall, exhausted. The blood running off Allen's wound slid down the wall and began to collect, pooling ominously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kanda flicked his katana, irritated at being impeded.

_Do you honestly think that a level two is that stupid? Or that weak to be destroyed with such a low level attack?_

Before Kanda had a chance to respond, the wolf suddenly appeared between the Asian Exorcist and a clawed hand which belonged to a Finder with an abruptly emotionless expression. The filed tips dug into the wolf's flesh and Allen yowled in pain as he was thrown roughly against the wall. The Exorcist slid to the floor, limp.

_And in case the idea hasn't gotten across yet, that's the real Akuma. _The wolf coughed weakly. _Ugh, that attack got me in the wound that was already open…_

Kanda moved between Allen and the Akuma, poised. "You really are a masochist."

_After all the trouble I went to warn you too. _A sarcastic voice drawled. _Let me do you another favor then. _Mustering whatever little strength dwindled in his body, Allen willed the Innocence spread through his body to center on his vocal chords. Drawing a breath, he howled. The walls of the underground structure began to vibrate slightly.

Disrupted, the Level Two covered its ears, shuddering as the sound waves wracked its copied body with spasms.

_My _Howling_ isn't strong enough to destroy a Level Two, but at the very least…_

Kanda was already a step ahead of him. In a flash, he easily sent the humanoid Akuma spiraling through the concrete walls, flying through several rooms before coming to a stop quite a distance away.

"Che." Kanda scoffed. "That weakling put you in such a miserable state?"

_Oh, he's quite durable. _The wolf coughed. _But_ _I got careless. That's all. _

Ignoring the slumped Exorcist, Kanda glanced down the stone corridors. "Now we've wasted valuable time in trying to locate the Innocence."Several pieces of gravel dislodged from the ceiling and fell with a thunk next to Kanda's feet. "And you've resigned us to certain doom if you keep using that attack down here."

Disregarding Kanda's second comment, the wolf chided. _Ah, but don't you remember I am prime in locating Innocence?_

"…" Kanda, unfortunately, was forced to admit that he certainly wouldn't make any progress stumbling around in the darkness of the underground passageways looking for the Innocence. It would certainly be more counterproductive than not. Immediately, the fifteen pieces of Innocence that Allen had managed to bring to the Order upon his arrival came to mind. It was a much greater figure than what the Generals could return with, even in a longer amount of time. "…fine." He reluctantly conceded.

_Yes, yes. I understand your personality quite well. You don't like to be in debt of others. And considering that completing this mission is your higher – or should I say, your _only_ priority... carrying Toma and me will be sufficient. I'll tell you where to go. _

Kanda was not the type to compromise his mission. The Akuma, if as strong as Allen claimed, would not stay dazed and down for long. Subsequently, if he spent time loitering here, he would just allow the Innocence to get further away and even escape.

"Che." Swallowing his pride and choosing the (only slightly) lesser of two evils, Kanda hoisted Toma on one shoulder and supported him with a hand whilst he kept a limp Allen tucked under his arm.

…_are you doing that on purpose? _Kanda's fingers had pressed on Allen's open wound. As if to mock him, Kanda's grip tightened.

Allen's voice chuckled sardonically in Kanda's head. _Pride is useless, you know. _When the pressure increased on his wound, he let out a few low growls in protest before learning his lesson and deciding not to further aggravate the already impatient and pissed Kanda. _Okay, take a left here—_

The Japanese Exorcist began to walk, per the other Exorcist's instructions. As Kanda walked down a particularly long hallway, his boots clacking and echoing in the crushing silence, Allen spoke.

_Kanda… the Akuma, in Toma's form, mentioned the appearance it took in the battle with me. It sounded like you stilled for a few moments after he told you. Did you… did you recognize who the boy was? _

He grunted. Stopping at a junction, he asked the wolf, "Left or right?". Receiving an uninterested response, Kanda turned and walked in the indicated direction.

_Did you?_

Kanda halted in his steps again. Allen looked up. They were in the middle of a rather long straight corridor. Several images raced through Kanda's mind again – attempting to grasp them only gave him a large headache he didn't need. He heard flashes of them as they passed, though.

* * *

[ "_I could ask the same of you, Allen Walker."_ ]

[ _A young man, dressed fittingly in a gold trimmed uniform, smiled. "It's been a while, Eli." _]

* * *

Allen flicked the unresponsive Exorcist lightly with his tail. _Kanda?_

Said Exorcist blinked and snapped out of his reverie. Shaking his head, he seemed as if he had not heard the other Exorcist's worried query and continued to walk.

_Did you—_

"Allen Walker." Kanda started gruffly, hoping to shut the Exorcist up.

_What?_

"Allen Walker is a lesser known name. The Order's Historians know him as Neah or just call him the Destroyer of Time."

_Then how do you know about it?_

Kanda did not answer and continued speaking. "He is considered one of the greatest Exorcists in the history of the Order. Walker joined up as a regular Exorcist at fifteen became a General at the age of sixteen. No records really remain about him or his Innocence, but according to Hevlaska, he was destined to kill the Earl."The Exorcist stopped at an intersection. Allen pointed out the direction and after Kanda turned, he continued talking.

"During one of the greater conflicts, he disappeared from the central battlefield to fight with the Earl. And lost, apparently. The Order never found his remains, so he's still listed as MIA. But if he was still alive now, he would be old." Kanda stopped at another junction. "But what was significant was that this was the first time that a prophecy given by Hevlaska was wrong."

_If Earl's side was able to kill the Order's 'savior', then why didn't the Earl just destroy the Order? It obviously posed no threat to him…_

"…what people ask but doesn't know the answer to."

Allen's head lowered his body relaxing as he turned the information over in his head. Suddenly, he jerked up, as if he had realized something.

_Can you hear that?_

Kanda stopped and listened carefully. Faintly, a soft lullaby drifted into his ears… it was much too soft to pinpoint a direction, though.

_The dolls of Matel were made for singing and dancing, weren't they?_ He felt himself tensing as the nostalgic tune became more distinguished. They continued walking down the hallway. The volume of the voice was increasing. It was hauntingly beautiful.

_I think there's another way into another area somewhere in this hallway. A hole or opening of some sort._ Allen's wounds had slowly began to heal over. Squirming in Kanda's grip, Allen bounded down the hall, hearing the other Exorcist's irritated berating for making him lose his balance. Coming to a stop in front of a section of wall, Allen waited for Kanda to catch up and tapped a paw against the wall.

_Here. _

Even with Toma teetering precariously on his shoulder, Kanda removed his katana from its sheath with ease and sliced the walls to bits. Roughly pushing past the wolf Exorcist, he sourly slid down the chute, no longer concealed with the demolition of the wall.

Shaking his head with barely contained amusement, the wolf Exorcist followed suit.

Executing a flip after being blinded by a sudden surge of light at the end of the crudely constructed chute, Kanda landed steady on his feet and allowed his eyesight a few seconds to accustom themselves. They had been walking for quite a long while in the darkness. Several moments later, Allen, who was not expecting to come shooting out of the tube at a breakneck speed, tumbled onto the marble floor, yelping and stirring up dust.

"Keep it down!" Kanda hissed, dropping Toma none too gently onto the ground. The Finder groaned, and Kanda realized that he was still wearing the paper shell that the Akuma had wrapped him in. Not wanting to fight off another migraine from the rush of images he had witnessed earlier, Kanda barked at the now awake Toma to get rid of the shell and started in a direction.

_How would you know where to go?_

Giving Allen a look that made the Exorcist immediately aware of the fact that Kanda believed he was a complete idiot, Kanda answered simply, "Aura."

Allen contemplated the word. Perhaps when he couldn't rely on his enhanced senses, he would need an auxiliary. He relaxed, trying to feel for this aura with his whole body. Ignoring the thrum that immediately rushed into his body initially – that was Kanda's Mugen – he sent his senses outward and discovered that yes, Kanda was headed towards the Innocence.

「The Akuma is coming...」

「Guzoru is dying...」

Allen could hear the voices of the Innocence. One of the advantages of having a completely Innocence infused body. The Innocence had come to care for this human Guzoru, it seemed.

"Walker-dono?" Now fully awake and composed, Toma glanced questioningly at the loitering wolf Exorcist. Thankfully, when Toma was captured by the Akuma, he only suffered a light concussion resisting and nothing worse.

Quickly understanding he was meant to follow, Allen bounded past Toma and tried to catch up to Kanda. He could hear Toma's own hastened footsteps pattering behind him as he attempted to follow.

"Quiet!" Kanda muttered under his breath when the two came to a stop a few steps behind him. They had found their targets, but apparently Kanda had heard something interesting that had stopped him from interrupting. Allen realized that the singing had long faded. So this girl had been the source.

Bathed in the moonlight in the center of the dome shaped hall, the man was resting, using the girl's lap as a pillow. "Why did you say you were the doll, Guzoru?" The girl inquired, touching the fully cloaked figure's arm. Her hood had slipped, Allen realized, which was why he had trouble recognizing her a moment earlier.

"Because…" He coughed. "I am ugly… an ugly human." He leant over, wheezing. Spitting weakly, some droplets of blood mixed with saliva hit the ground with plops.

The girl shuffled forward to steady him, worried but not surprised.

"So… I don't want a stranger to break you. Please, Lala. Stay with me until the end… and then I'll break you with my own hands."

The doll's pupils widened in surprise. The expression lasted for only a moment though, as they quickly returned to normal size with and regarded the man with a warm, affectionate gaze.

Allen suddenly felt a pang. How could something inanimate express such profoundly human emotion? He felt his chest tightening and his teeth gritting. _…why, Innocence? All I wanted… _

_And his mother and siblings turned tail and left him behind…_

「Let me sing for Guzoru…just a while longer, Exorcist…」

Allen's head whipped up, surprised.

Lala hugged Guzoru, whispering. "Yes, Guzoru. Lala is your doll." She looked up at him, expectant. "What should I sing next?"

As Kanda made to step out of their hiding place, no doubt to claim the Innocence, Allen felt the earth vibrate slightly beneath his feet. A repugnant smell filled his nose. Rapidly deciding that Kanda was more durable as an Exorcist, he tackled Toma, knocking the surprised Finder out of the way.

"What the hell, Moya-"

_AKUMA!_

A white claw, submerged in sand shot up from the ground underneath Kanda's feet. The Japanese Exorcist managed to dodge the hit, barely. Leaping, he maneuvered gracefully in the air, avoiding the claw which followed him. Following the large white hand to its source, Kanda saw the pierrot Akuma standing triumphant in the middle of the underground hall, basking in the moonlight, just as the pair had been doing not a few moments earlier. Impaled on the Akuma's other claw was the now unresponsive doll and Guzoru, the tip of the claw bloodied from piercing through his frail body. Discarding Guzoru like he was a bad toy, the Akuma shook the lifeless doll's body off his other clawed fingertip to reveal the Innocence, glowing a gentle green in a small, rounded container. Guzoru fell to the ground with a thud, motionless.

"_Ohohoho~ so this is what Innocence looks like?"_

"Dammit!" Kanda cursed. He activated his blade with a quick swish and made to lunge at the Akuma only to be distracted by a sudden, blinding pulse of green light that filled his vision. When his sight cleared, Kanda saw the claw moving straight towards him and knew there was absolutely no time to dodge. He braced himself for the pain—

Before something caught the back of his jacket and firmly yanked him backwards, sending him sprawling onto his back next to an equally surprised Toma. Quickly recovering from the impact, Kanda sat up and made to yell at the other Exorcist, whom he knew was responsible for holding him back.

"Moyashi, what do you think you're doing?"

_Stand down, Kanda. _The wolf's voice said sharply in his head. _That Akuma and its claws can appear out of anywhere within the sand and there's a limit to how much you can move in the air, regardless of how good you are. _Craning his neck, the wolf, still pulsating like a polished green gem, fixed Kanda with an icy, frighteningly golden stare. Any silver that had been present in those eyes had vanished.

Kanda had to consciously keep himself from flinching, though it was not the wolf that had incited this reaction. The dark green plates of Innocence which normally enclosed the entire wolf's body were rearranging themselves. It seemed to center around the stomach and back area, much like a belt. Six distinguishable blob-like shapes protruded from the back and began molding themselves.

Kanda remembered that Allen's Innocence was classified as parasitic. Like clay, it meant that he could conceivably change its shape per the Exorcist's emotions. Having exuded the same aura himself many times before in the past, Kanda immediately identified the barely suppressed emotion overflowing from the wolf Exorcist.

Anger.

He winced, his hand moving to his chest. Sliding some of his clothing to one side, he found his bandages soaked in his own blood. The Akuma had earlier dealt a superficial, although heavily bleeding wound. Groaning under his breath, he took several steps backwards until he found a wall and slid down against it.

"Kanda-dono?" Toma had seen the blood before Kanda had a chance to fully conceal it, and the Finder reached for the standard treatment kit he kept along with the phone.

Kanda waved him off. "It'll heal on its own." He said simply, and ignoring the throbbing pain and Toma's protests, he focused on the other Exorcist.

Several other plates of Innocence moved to cover Allen's feet, much like Lenalee's Dark Boots. Launching off the ground, the wolf remained suspended in the air for a few moments before he found stable footing on a pillar. Kicking it, he launched him towards the Akuma.

Kanda's mouth set in a line, his expression grim. The Innocence hadn't finished reshaping itself yet, but considering what he had heard before Allen had taken off…

_Unforgivable… _

The wolf zipped in the air towards the Akuma.

_Even us fakes have feelings…! _

「Let me sing, Exorcist... one last time.」

* * *

**To be continued...**

* * *

Phew, that took a while. Severe writer's block and stress from school is not healthy. Although the epic lateness of this chapter was due to the former.

The lyrics above are from Lala's Lullaby, a lovely piece of music from the D. Gray Man anime - it is the song that Lala sings for Guzoru, and it is in Latin, if I have my facts straight. If you want the English meaning (from a YouTube video made by **arvyknowsbest**) -

[ Tearful was the day

From which the ashes will rise

The guilty man is condemned.

So have mercy on him, God,

Compassionate Lord Jesus. ]

Latin is such a beautiful language. ;_; I wish I could learn it (but I will probably never get around to, because I'll be busy trying to teach myself Japanese).

Hopefully this chapter made you a little more interested in my story. :) I think the events are starting to drift from the original plotline now - 1) Allen's a wolf, 2) He doesn't know what it's like to be loved, so I can't have the scene where he refuses to let Kanda take the Innocence because he doesn't want to see a sad thing happen - his whole life has been a string of abandonments, so why should he try and help someone when he was never helped in return?

That's my thinking behind this. But of course you don't need to read that or agree. :D

Thank you for reading my story, I hope as much as my readers do that I can get the next installment out. Quick!

**-Mirai no Kibou**


	8. The Ghost of Matel pt 3

**Canis Lupus**

**Chapter 8 – The Ghost of Matel pt. 3**

* * *

From the Previous Chapter

_Unforgivable… _

The wolf zipped in the air towards the Akuma.

_Even us fakes have feelings…!_

「Let me sing, Exorcist…」

* * *

"_Hit me with your hardest, Exorcist~!" _From the sand burst the Akuma and its large claw, gleefully swatting for the airborne wolf. _"Though I doubt you'll be able to hit me at all!" _

_Try me. _The six arm-like shapes protruding from Allen's back melded together and formed a canon. There was a moment's pause as Allen remained suspended in the air, the white claw reaching for him. Then the canon rapidly discharged a series of glowing green pin-like projectiles, sending the unguarded Akuma sprawling back into the sand pit.

"_Gyaaa!" _The Akuma disappeared under all the sand that was thrown up as a result, shrieking.

Allen descended slowly out of the air and landed lightly on the pins he had fired. Apparently they were solid and not something of a metaphysical nature that would disperse into nothingness. Kanda supposed that it had its advantages, although was more likely to clutter up a battlefield more quickly than not.

It was silent, save for the dust cloud that made a hissing sound as Allen waited, listening for anything; anything that would pinpoint the location of his opponent. Sending a backwards glance at the limp doll and motionless Guzoru, Allen was relieved to see that none of them had been hit by his attack (or the Akuma, after he took the Innocence).

_Though…_ He thought. _I don't have any reason to worry for the sake of strangers. _

His nose twitched. The Akuma had resurfaced. Glancing down at the sand, a smooth sloshing sound drifted into his ears. Much like water, the sand was parting and being pushed to the side, leaving a faint trail that vanished quickly as the Akuma swam in the sand.

"_You can't hit me when I change into sand~!" _The Akuma taunted cheerfully, swimming in circles.

Allen's murderous expression did not change as the canon was reloaded and fired without hesitation at the sand. The projectiles hit the sand with many overlapping 'thud' sounds, dredging up another cloud of flying sand and dust. Without delay, through the cloud shot the claw and Allen leapt off his tower of pin missiles, dodging. However, the Akuma's sand shell soon followed and within seconds, Allen was face to face with the Akuma, mere inches away. Regardless, Allen was not fazed even as sand surrounded and enveloped him, trapping him inside the Akuma's fake sand body.

"_Kekekeke, I got you, Exorcist~! It's over now!" _Rubbing his stomach affectionately as if he had just eaten the greatest treat in the world, the Akuma raised his claw hand.

_I can't see anything… _Allen mused, still frighteningly calm.

"_How many holes will I need to poke in you before you die, I wonder?" _The cavern filled with malicious, child-like laughter. _"Let's find out!" _And with that, the Akuma began to rain stab upon stab on his stomach, madly slashing around with erratic movements.

"Walker-dono!" Toma called, worriedly.

"He's still alive." Kanda said. _I can still sense… _He thought, watching the Akuma that believed it was mauling the other Exorcist, _That murderous anger… and the overpowering aura of his Innocence, responding to him. _

With a metallic ringing sound, the swishing sounds made by the Akuma waving his claw around ceased. The Akuma looked puzzled, as he found his claw jammed in his stomach, unable to move.

"_Wha-?"_

In an instant, Allen burst out of the sand shell. The curved, sharpened ends of the Akuma's imitated claw were lodged in the canon. With a full twirl of his body in the air, the claw's fingers snapped off as if they were pencil lead and Allen's back paws lightly touched upon a standing pillar.

_The Innocence is being generous today. _Allen thought. _I'm feeling so light… I don't have the sense of an impending rebound like I always do. It's showing me what to do, and my body is just able to do it…_

The canon shuddered, and dispersed into six distinguishable shapes again. They quickly sharpened themselves, glistening with reflected light due to the sheer thinness of the blades, and Allen kicked off the pillar, flying straight at the startled, distracted Akuma, now with six sharp arm-like blades.

With the slicing sound that Kanda was so used to hearing with his own bladed Innocence, the six blades danced and whirled with such speed and precision that the Akuma remained whole for several seconds, even after the blades had ceased movement.

_And now I've revealed your real body._

With a piercing scream, the sand skin the Akuma wore broke apart and was blown off by a passing breeze, each particle glittering as they floated off.

"_Did you… did you just…" _The Akuma groped its face and humanoid body, as if unbelieving that the Exorcist had just reduced its sand skin to tatters. When it realized that yes, indeed, the Exorcist had ripped off its skin, it wailed furiously. _"My skin! You've torn apart my beautiful skin!"_

_You give yourself too much credit. _The wolf's paws touched upon the sandy ground. The blades transformed into the canon again. _You won't get a chance to escape, Akuma. _The canon charged. _It's over. _

"_B-but I still have this arm!"_Cocky and confident yet slightly desperate, the Akuma extended its arm towards Allen.

With an explosive bang, the canon discharged. Meeting the blast head on with its claw, the Akuma appeared to be able to repel the blast for but a few moments before it found its legs sliding backwards from the force of the shot.

"_What? Why? Even with this claw-!" _The Akuma was pushed, struggling, against the high walls of the underground hall. The claw had begun dismantling particle by particle. The shot faded, and the mangled remains of the Akuma's claw arm dropped to its side. _"Why did I lose?" _It growled.

Kanda snorted. _What a stupid Akuma. That's the extent of the claw's power. Even with the same weapon, they are different users. Not to mention, it's _his_ Anti-Akuma weapon… _The visage of a teenage boy with silver hair appeared briefly in his mind. _As the Innocence synchronizes with its user, the more powerful it will become. Which is why, I…_ Kanda looked down at Mugen, its hilt clutched in his hand. His grip tightened.

A gagging sound filled the hall. Kanda looked up, and saw Allen stumble backwards, blood dripping from his jaws before he collapsed on his side.

Allen chuckled humorlessly. _I was wondering when it would rebound. Seems that it's more severe than usual…_

"_Gotcha!" _Quickly discarding its despair of losing in lieu of the joy that came from getting a chance to slaughter the weakened Exorcist, the Akuma lunged forward, brandishing the remains of its still lethal claw.

_Ahh, this will hurt…_

* * *

[ _Recovering well from that suicidal mission of yours, Walker? _]

* * *

Irritated, Kanda unsheathed Mugen, scoffing, and dashed between the claw and exhausted Exorcist in the nick of time to intercept the attack. His body tensing and straining from the effort of holding the Akuma back with one arm, he felt his wound, having halfway healed, open again. The blood once again stained his bandages as it oozed out.

_Aren't you quite the hypocrite, Kanda._

"I don't have to take sarcastic crap from you, _Moyashi_." Kanda snapped angrily. "Who was the idiot who said 'unforgivable' and thought he could take this bastard on alone with a form of his Innocence he had never used before?" He paused for breath. "Not to mention, this guy was supposed to be dust on the ground a long time ago. Keep your promises and finish your goddamn job properly, dammit!" Kanda's anger appeared to be making him stronger. He pushed the heavy claw back slightly. "I absolutely _hate _half-assed people like you… but what I hate even more are people who don't fulfill their promises!"

_You would hate me either way anyway, but more importantly… _The wolf slowly returned to its feet. …_that's the most I've ever heard you say in the span of an entire day. _

"Shut up!"

Unbeknownst to Kanda, Allen's mouth curved into a small smile. _I'm 'people', huh…_ He thought.

To Kanda, he said: _Don't worry, I'm not out of energy just yet. _The Innocence around his body glowed faintly as it was reactivated. _I'm just taking a short break. _

A vein popped. "Impudent little…" Kanda muttered. With a heave and a clean slash, half of the Akuma's claw detached and flew off.

The Akuma, its eyes widening, slowly backed away, having recognized its inevitable demise.

The canon finished charging.

_Vanish into dust!_

"Kaichu… Ichigen!"

"_No… noooooooo!" _The Akuma was frozen stiff as a legion of hellish phantom bugs and a large canon blast surged towards it. As it felt its body being torn apart, it let loose one more cry of _"Exorciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiists!" _before disappearing, its remains dispersing into the night sky along with the excess of Kanda's and Allen's final decisive attack.

"_Thank you…" _The night grew dark and quiet again.

The Innocence, shot high into the air, descended and landed with a thud between the two Exorcists, both lying down on the ground, the delayed fatigue of their battles having caught up to them.

Toma, relieved that the danger had passed, hurriedly walked over to the two injured Exorcists. He made to retrieve the Innocence, but Allen stopped him with a quiet plea.

…_wait, Toma._

The Finder flinched, this having been only the second time that Allen had spoken directly to him. Allen was not in actuality supposed to have spoken to anyone but those who knew of the extent of his abilities, but he had accidentally let it slip when Toma was briefing the two in the train.

… _the Innocence… please put it back into the doll._

"Yes, Walker-dono. Why?"

…_it wants to sing._

「Yes… for Guzoru, one last time.

「Let me sing.

Kanda opened his eyes, blinking as he decided that he had rested enough for now. He was momentarily startled, as he saw a hand outstretched in front of him. Thinking it was probably Toma, Kanda was about to voice his refusal before noticing that this hand was _red._

_What is this? _The hand shifted out of the way and Kanda came face to face with a familiar young man with silver hair and a disturbingly out of place scar running through his left eye. _Allen Walker?_

Quickly, Kanda straightened, ignoring the throbbing of his wound as it began to bleed anew. Allen Walker, the legendary Exorcist himself, stood in front of him. But his form was flickering, like a hologram. Kanda couldn't decide if he was real or a figment of his imagination. Nonetheless, he saw lotuses everywhere he went, so it would be no surprise if he was a little skeptical.

Kanda's eyes widened. The lotuses…

_Where were the lotuses?_

He spun around alarmed. No lotuses in sight. Not hearing Allen and Toma call his name, concerned, Kanda searched for those flowers; those illusions he had been seeing for the entirety of his life; those _damn things_ that served as an unnecessary reminder for him every second of every day. But they weren't there. Instead, in front of him stood the profile of Allen Walker as if it was absolutely natural.

With a playful smile, Allen Walker put a finger to his lips and winked. He mouthed a few words before hurrying away and vanishing mid run.

Kanda stood frozen.

* * *

[ _Take care of _Allen_, my dear friend._ ]

* * *

_-anda. Kanda! _

The Japanese Exorcist snapped out of his reverie to glare at the other Exorcist. The shock had put him in a foul mood. "We've finished our mission. Let's go."

_Uhm, not quite. See, I can hear the voices of Innocence, and—_

Kanda paid no heed to Allen's explanation and grunted his assent before even hearing the entire request. He strode off, Toma hurrying after him.

… _well, I'll just watch the Innocence, then. _

Deactivating his Innocence, Allen felt lethargy settle into his body as he felt its natural healing process starting.

_The long night is over. _

Sunrise had begun peering over the mountain.

* * *

Guzoru's eyes slowly and blearily opened. He felt pure bliss, but he shifted slightly and—oh. He remembered and certainly felt the gaping hole in his chest made by the creature that had stabbed him. It hurt. But he was glad. It was a sure indication that he was still alive. Squinting, he looked upwards and saw streaks of orange painted across the sky. Guzoru turned his head. A short distance away, a wolf was dozing. Abruptly, a movement out of the corner of his eye prompted him to look upwards, into the face and now glassy eyes of the doll he loved for his entire life. He smiled weakly, and built up the strength to reach for her face. Guzoru had barely touched her chin before his arm sagged.

"Ma-aster human." The doll said in a mechanical voice. "Would you like a song?"

His eyes fluttered shut. Guzoru felt the tears collect under his eyelids. But he wasn't sad.

"Ma-aster human." The doll called, again. "I am a doll. I sing. Would you like a song?"

"You would sing for me?" Guzoru asked, repeating the words from when they had first met. Inexplicable joy warmed and filled every corner of his heart. Ah… he was starting to feel a little light headed now… he let himself relax.

"Are you going to sleep, Master? Then I will sing you a song." And Lala did just that. She opened her mouth and a melancholy tune filled his senses.

"I love you… Lala." A tear escaped and fell. Guzoru's hand went slack, and his face, albeit ugly, never seemed more beautiful as a smile, genuinely happy, remained.

As Guzoru passed, an eye opened.

_Rest in peace… Guzoru. _

And Allen was lulled to sleep by Lala's lullaby.

* * *

"He's annoying." Kanda deadpanned, ripping a bandage off his face.

"But so is everyone else, in your opinion anyway." Komui countered Kanda's sour mood cheerfully. "You're lucky~" The Supervisor sighed like a love sick maiden. "Italy, with its rolling, sparkling emerald green seas. And oh, the fresh air! The great scenery and the mountains that just seem to stretch on forever. Ahh, how I wish I could leave this place!" The sound of something being firmly stamped and a paper rustling was heard in the background.

"It isn't anything special." Kanda mumbled grumpily. He ripped the IV out of his arm, indifferent.

"So… where is Allen?"

"Still in the city."

"And the doll?"

"It _has_ been running for 500 years. Besides, it isn't the same doll anymore, even after the Innocence was put back in… It will probably stop soon." Kanda moved the phone away from his ear for a moment to undo the bandages wrapped tightly around his torso. He dropped the bandages onto the bed and pulled on a shirt. A nurse glanced in worried, and moments later, a doctor appeared in the doorway.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"Leaving." Kanda replied as if it were the simplest thing to understand.

"B-but… your injuries! They should take at least 5 months to recover!"

"I'm healed." Nodding at Toma, the Finder approached the doctor with a slip of paper. "You can claim your payment here."

"That's impossible-!" The doctor stared at Kanda's unblemished torso – save for one odd tattoo in the area above his heart - and although shocked, no longer put up any resistance as Kanda quietly left the clinic, closely followed by Toma.

He brought the phone back to his ear. "It took quite a while this time, didn't it."

"But I'm healed."

"But it took longer than usual. You don't need me to tell you to be careful. You can't afford to miscalculate what's left of your life."

"…" Kanda decided not to respond. Instead, he donned his Exorcist coat and began ascending the steps. "We'll be back before tonight with the Innocence." He said.

"Actually, Kanda-kun. You'll be heading off to your next mission from there."

"… fine." Kanda hung up and passed the phone back to Toma, who returned it to its cradle.

The doll had been singing since the night they had defeated the Akuma.

Reaching the top of the long staircase, Kanda found Allen napping lightly a short distance away. He sat down on the top stair. "Oi, Moyashi."

_Hn? _Was the sleepy response. _… all healed, I see. _Allen said, after a pause. _I won't ask, then. Even though the doctor said you had to be hospitalized for five months. _

"What are you sleeping for?" Receiving no response, Kanda continued. "Che. Anyway, I'm going onto my next mission from here. Komui wants you to deliver the Innocence to Headquarters. You can at least do that much and not screw it up."

_Hn… _was Allen's sleepy assent.

Kanda craned his neck to glance at Allen. "…if it really bugs you that much, then just stop the doll."

_Can't… the Innocence wanted to sing for Guzoru. Until the very end. At the very least, I can let it do that. _

"That way of thinking will get you killed someday." Kanda turned away. "We destroy. We don't save."

_I'm not looking to save._ Allen lifted his head from his legs. _I'm not capable of saving. I'm just looking to prove something. _

"Even so."

An amused chuckle. _You might not like to acknowledge it, but you and I are quite similar._

"Why would I want to be the same as-" Kanda stopped talking as both Exorcists realized that something was missing.

It was silent.

Allen quietly stood and padded over to the doll. It seemed to be frozen in a moment of time, its mouth forming a word in its song. Leaning in closer to the doll, Allen made to nudge it carefully onto its side with his head-

"Thank you."

Surprised, Allen stopped, and looked into the eyes of a doll that suddenly appeared very human.

"For letting me sing until I broke." The doll smiled. "Thank you."

「I could fulfill my promise…」

Now lifeless, the doll slumped over. Allen stood over it, speechless.

"What's wrong?"

…_nothing. _

Allen pushed the doll over, and the Innocence clattered out. Gently picking it up in his jaws, Allen turned to face the exit and trotted out of the hallowed hall. As he passed Kanda and started down the stairs, Kanda saw a triumphant look on his face, but also…

A drop of water hit a stair as the wolf walked.

Silently, Kanda followed.

* * *

[ _Take care of _Allen_, my dear friend._ ]

As Allen Walker turned and ran, he smiled, fondly saying two words before vanishing.

[ _Eli Trick_. ]

* * *

It's too obvious, isn't it? Haha. But I at least wanted to bring you the conclusion of the Ghost of Matel - I've delayed this for long enough. Well now, I have exams, so I have to actually start studying. I have summer vacation afterwards though, so at the very least if I don't get writer's block I can update regularly. :)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading as always!

**-Mirai no Kibou**


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